Passports

House of Lords written question – answered at on 3 February 2014.

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Photo of Lord Morrow Lord Morrow DUP

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current position on the movement of persons to or from the United Kingdom through or from the Channel Islands; and whether a loophole exists involving the non-requirement of passports or photographic identification, which could be exploited by those involved in human trafficking.

Photo of Lord Taylor of Holbeach Lord Taylor of Holbeach The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department

The UK and the Channel Islands form part of the Common Travel Area (CTA), along with the Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland. Individuals coming into the UK or the Channel Islands are examined to see if they require leave to enter the CTA, and the policies and processes of the UK and the Channel Islands for deciding whether to grant that leave are very similar.

A person who has been examined for the purpose of immigration control when entering the Channel Islands is therefore not routinely subject to further examination for immigration purposes when travelling to the UK, and vice versa.

There is excellent co-operation between CTA partners, including the UK and the Channel Islands, to prevent abuse of the CTA by strengthening its external border. As part of this, we plan to work with the Channel Islands authorities to ensure that the implications of the Modern Slavery Bill and action plan for the Common Travel Area are fully understood.

Border Force staff receive mandatory training to help identify and tackle human trafficking, and to date we have not seen any evidence that individuals are being trafficked to the UK via the Channel Islands. However, we remain alert to the range of methods used to move people to the UK for exploitation and will act on any information received.

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