Speeches

John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to hold urgent discussions with her French counterparts on border controls at Dover and other British ports.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Home Secretary met with her French counterpart, Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, on Tuesday 30 August.

The two nations committed to a number of specific steps, including:

Further securing the ports and tunnel in the region – Britain has already provided around £85 million to reinforce security;

Addressing humanitarian challenges in Calais, where around 7,000 migrants are now gathered – including 5,000 without housing;

Continuing to work together to return illegal migrants in Calais who are not in need of protection;

Bringing unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to the UK when in their best interest.

A joint statement from both governments after talks reaffirmed the commitment to working together to strengthen the security of our shared border, and to preserve the vital economic link supported by the juxtaposed controls in Calais.