Mr Mike Hancock (Portsmouth South, Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the (a) issuing and (b) loaning of high-technology UK freight searching equipment to port-cities in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Europe; what equipment is in place; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Beverley Hughes (Minister of State (Citizenship and Immigration), Home Office; Stretford & Urmston, Labour)

There are no current plans to issue or loan freight-searching technology to port operators in the United Kingdom. Freight searching to detect clandestine arrivals is carried out in the United Kingdom by the UK Immigration Service.

As part of the measures to reduce the number of unfounded asylum applications in the United Kingdom, a programme is under way to loan and deploy UK-owned detection technology to port operators and carriers overseas.

We have deployed people detection technology at the ports of Calais and Coquelles. At Calais there is the capability to screen 100 per cent. of embarking freight vehicles. Following the tightening of security at Calais, we are taking steps to deploy at other continental ports including in France, Belgium and Holland, vulnerable to the displacement of clandestine activity.

Additionally, a UK owned scanner is currently on loan to the Belgian authorities and is deployed by the Belgian Federal Maritime Police. In line with the UK commitment to work with European partners to combat illegal immigration, UK owned technology is also currently on loan to the Irish and German authorities.