Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Lord Marlesford (Conservative) on Thursday, 2 December 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 December 2021. It was answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford (Conservative) on Thursday, 16 December 2021 on behalf of the Home Office.

Undocumented Migrants: Biometrics

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what biometric details are taken from irregular migrants who arrive in the UK from France by boat; whether such details are taken from all irregular migrants arriving from France by boat; and whether it is possible for the UK immigration authorities to compare these details with records held by EU member states.

Answer

People arriving by small boats across the Channel are subject to stringent checks on arrival in the UK and again as they are processed into the asylum system.

Immediately on arrival, initial identity checks are undertaken for all individuals over the age of five, based on the name given and fingerprints are checked against immigration and Police criminal databases.

Once triaged and moved to appropriate accommodation, arrivals will be subject to additional checks as part of the asylum intake process. This will include identity and biometric enrolment based on fingerprints taken, with details checked against law enforcement, immigration, Police and security databases. There may be some individual cases where these checks are not conducted. It is not possible to check these details against the EU systems to which the UK has access under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement because use of those systems is only permitted for law enforcement, not immigration purposes.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL4652
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Biometrics Boats EU countries Immigration controls Undocumented migrants English Channel
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk