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Illegal Immigrants

Volume 489: debated on Wednesday 11 March 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants have been detected stowing away in lorries at each of her Department's check-points within the UK in each month since January 2005. (250585)

In 2008 alone, over 28,000 attempts to cross the channel and enter the UK illegally were prevented at the juxtaposed ports of Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk.

The following tables represent the number of clandestines detected in lorries at the juxtaposed locations in northern France from 2005 to 2008 as well as ports within the UK.

Location—juxtaposed controls

2005

2006

2007

2008

U/E

FP

U/E

FP

U/E

FP

U/E

FP

January

189

872

364

1,227

406

819

785

1,894

February

191

662

427

727

303

643

683

1,394

March

235

705

332

875

297

508

571

947

April

266

887

367

893

320

631

549

1,054

May

249

834

403

946

448

724

490

978

June

207

863

372

820

327

734

506

1,231

July

350

877

377

780

455

717

625

1,306

August

388

894

560

1,092

448

1,075

650

1,900

September

270

927

424

1,317

497

1,286

946

2,055

October

396

842

664

1,588

701

1,771

1,077

2,567

November

449

1,269

528

842

651

1,996

941

2,313

December

423

694

386

587

606

1,517

721

1,824

Total

3,613

10,326

5,204

11,694

5,459

12,421

8,544

19,463

Key:

U/E = Represents figures for UKBA detections at juxtaposed ports including contracted partners.

FP = Represents figures for detections at juxtaposed ports by the French port authorities.

Location—Dover, Ramsgate and Dartford Europort

2005

2006

2007

2008

January

60

68

51

68

February

26

43

20

69

March

35

18

27

43

April

17

66

36

26

May

46

41

26

46

June

34

42

28

16

July

41

40

37

31

August

50

40

51

55

September

45

36

56

45

October

55

62

84

57

November

47

53

42

89

December

64

32

83

70

Total

520

561

541

615

Location —Hull, Immingham, Humber Sea Terminal, Grimsby, Tyne Commission Quay and Teesport

2005

2006

2007

2008

January

3

8

February

10

4

March

5

9

April

14

4

May

8

7

June

6

23

12

July

4

8

12

August

1

8

September

1

9

9

October

1

2

6

November

17

December

4

Total

81

57

64

74

Location—Purfleet and Tilbury

2005

2006

2007

2008

January

38

February

4

13

March

7

10

April

9

9

May

12

7

June

3

13

July

1

10

24

August

2

16

September

9

7

22

October

16

7

November

2

16

14

December

2

11

Total

30

70

184

Location—Newhaven, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Poole

2005

2006

2007

2008

January

15

29

24

February

42

18

10

March

9

12

5

April

8

7

10

May

15

27

9

June

14

44

14

July

10

21

17

August

44

24

8

September

19

31

19

October

17

20

14

November

20

44

20

December

20

18

4

Total

163

233

295

154

All the data provided above have been compiled from locally held management information and as such do not represent National Statistics. They may therefore be subject to change.