James Cleverly questions the Minister for Border Security and Asylum about the difference in function between the border security command and the small boats operational command.
Mr James Cleverly (Braintree) (Con)
Will the Minister describe clearly and unambiguously, without bluster, the difference in function between the border security command and the small boats operational command?
The Minister for Border Security and Asylum (Dame Angela Eagle)
The border security command is not focused only on channel crossings; it is much more about using our intelligence capabilities and our operational arm to co-operate across borders, with other jurisdictions and in real time, to ensure that organised criminal gangs can be tracked, apprehended and dismantled. We have given £150 million extra to the border security command to start to do that work. The command on the channel is about saving lives and co-operating with the French once people have reached the beaches. It is far too late once people have reached the beaches; we need to go far back to the origin countries, and do a lot more work there.