Thank you for your contacting me about the number of small boats carrying migrants attempting to cross the Channel.

To date, the National Crime Agency, Border Force and the Police have been working closely with French authorities to crack down on the criminals who facilitate these dangerous crossings, with 11 people suspected of organising crossings arrested in a single day last month. The UK Government is also funding patrols on the beaches of northern France to prevent migrants from crossing in the first place.

I know, however, that there is more the Government can and will do. This is a view shared by the Home Secretary, who has pledged a two-fold plan to make the Channel route unviable, including:

• Stopping the boats leaving France in the first place – in particular by urging to French authorities to ensure that migrants who are caught attempting to reach the UK by boat are taken away from Calais to prevent them from trying again, with the option of seeking protection in France or returning to their home country.
• Intercepting and returning anyone attempting to make a crossing– the Government is pushing the French to consider interceptions at sea and has offered to work with the French on joint exercises to demonstrate how boats can be returned safely.

We must also accept that until we leave the transition period with the EU later this year, we are limited in the action we can take on the current asylum regime. As it currently stands, the system is inflexible and rigid and is open to abuse by both migrants and activist lawyers to frustrate the returns of those who have no right to be here. Let me assure you that the Government is developing a new asylum system that is balanced and fair, protecting it from abuse but ensuring the most vulnerable people who are genuinely in need of our help, can receive the protection they need.

I have been encouraged in recent days to see the Government taking the firmer action necessary to stop these crossings – both to ensure the integrity of our borders and to protect the lives of migrants, misled by criminals and people smugglers, who are making this dangerous crossing.

Making the Channel route unviable will not be an easy task, with legislative, legal and operational barriers to overcome, but the Home Secretary has assured me that the Government will do everything in its power to achieve this task and stop the crossings.

I will continue to impress the importance of this situation on the Government for as long as it remains an issue.