Sir Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice his Department provides to rescue services that pick up migrants in small boats in the English Channel in (a) international and (b) UK territorial waters on where they can land those rescued; and what (i) domestic and (ii) international legal advice he has received on whether they can be landed on the territory of the last safe country from which they embarked.  [2243]

[Due for Answer on 21 November]

ANSWER

The Minister of State for Immigration (Robert Jenrick): Rescues of people making dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossings of the Channel in small boats are directed and coordinated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and are subject to the UK's obligations under the SAR and SOLAS Conventions and UNCLOS. The policy on where, when and how those people are rescued therefore lies with MCA and not the Home Office.