The government’s border inspector said he was “disappointed” that he had not been able to meet with Interior Minister Priti Patel once after his appointment more than 14 months ago.
David Neal, who was appointed independent chief inspector of borders and immigration last March, told lawmakers he was “disappointed” by the canceled five or six meetings.
“I have not yet met with the interior minister,” he told the interior committee. “I asked to speak to her several times and the pre-arranged meetings were canceled maybe five or six times.”
Asked if the apparent disregard was different from previous relations with other departments, Mr Neil said: . “
Mr Neil said he had been forced to “switch fires” when it came to resolving vital issues such as the migration of migrants to the English Channel – instead arranging meetings with junior ministers at the Ministry of the Interior.
He said the head of Cabinet 10, Stephen Barclay – who has a coordinating role in the small boat crisis in the cabinet – had “refused” a meeting to discuss the issue with small boats.
The inspector was “pleased” with the commitment of junior ministers and senior government officials – but reiterated his disappointment at the failure to speak to Ms. Patel, saying his own role was “really important”.
Mr Neill added: “With the Home Secretary, I honestly changed the fire. I wrote to her several times, I had a number of canceled meetings, I’m not sure I can do anything more to gain access … So I switched the fire to talking to ministers. “
Mr Neil also told lawmakers that he had seen conditions in Kent detention facilities – used to process initial asylum applications for migrants arriving in small boats – which were “unacceptable”.
Asked about women and children detained along with men by immigration officials after being brought ashore, Mr Neil said he found it “disturbing”.
“This is a concern we have because of the vulnerability problems of the mass of people we meet,” he said. “I saw the conditions [in the Kent Intake Unit] which, in my opinion, with a reasonable level of experience in detention, were not acceptable. “
He said he had written to Mrs Patel on the matter. He also told lawmakers that the suitability of places of detention would be examined “in detail” in his latest report to the interior secretary, which is expected to be published soon.
Downing Street has insisted that a “significant number” of crossings in the English Channel have been halted due to co-operation with French authorities.
However, children holding teddy bears were spotted ashore in Dover on Tuesday, as the number of migrants crossing the English Channel to the UK so far this year reached 10,000.
The government last month abandoned its plan to “repel” small boats carrying migrants to France shortly before the plan was challenged in court.
Mr Neil said he had not been able to verify what preparatory work, if any, the Border Forces had carried out on the proposal to “repel” small boats. “We have not yet tested the repulsion techniques,” he said.
The inspector also told lawmakers that he had not yet encountered any impact of the controversial partnership with Rwanda on the number of attempts to cross the English Channel in small boats.
Asked if the idea of sending migrants at risk of a one-way trip to Rwanda was a deterrent, the spokesman said: “The first flights are expected to take place on June 14 … We will have to wait until that’s the point. to fully understand the deterrent effect it has. “
About 28,526 people passed in 2021, compared to 8,466 in 2020, 1,843 in 2019 and 299 in 2018, according to official data from the Interior Ministry.
Add Comment