UK to avoid border check chaos with £10.5m plan to boost British ports
UK to avoid border check chaos with £10.5million plan to boost British ports
PA
Britain is preparing for enhanced European Union border checks by spending £10.5million on supporting ports in the UK, the Government has announced.
The money will be used to support new facilities and technology at the Port of Dover, the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the Eurostar at St Pancras station in London.
These are the three locations where French border checks are carried out - and each will receive £3.5m, the Department of Transport (DfT) said.
It comes ahead of the implementation of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), a new digital border system which will be launched in November.
The Port of Dover, the Eurotunnel at Folkestone and the Eurostar at St Pancras station in London will all receive £3.5m
PAIt will remove the need to manually scan passports but will require people travelling from the UK and other non-EU countries to register at the border.
The new system - which will come into effect four years after the UK formally left the EU - will see individuals having their face scanned and fingerprints taken, which will create a digital record that links a travel document to a person's identity using biometrics. The data will be stored for three years.
The DfT said the funding will “reduce the risk of queuing and disruption”.
Lilian Greenwood, Future of Roads minister, said: “Nobody wants to see excessive queues at our ports, which is why we’re providing this funding to ensure our borders are as prepared as possible for the upcoming change – despite EES being an EU initiative.
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The DfT said the funding will “reduce the risk of queuing and disruption”
GETTY“Since coming into government, we have been reviewing plans and closely supporting ports to make sure they have the right processes in place so that EES registration can be smooth and queue times kept to a minimum.”
Migration minister Seema Malhotra, who visited the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel today, said that the money will ensure the new system runs “as smoothly as possible”.
She said: “While EES checks will be a significant change to the EU border, we are working hard with the European Commission, member states and ports to ensure we are well prepared, and minimise any disruption for Brits travelling into Europe.
“This additional funding for ports will ensure they have the right technology and processes in place, so that EES registration can take place as smoothly as possible.”
The funding is a combination of £9m from the DfT and £1.5 million from the Home Office and the Government said it will help recruit and train staff ahead of the implementation.
Emma Ward, chief operations officer at Port of Dover, said: “The funding is a welcome step towards the significant investments we are making to support government plans to prepare for the introduction of the EU’s EES scheme.
The new system will remove the need to manually scan passports
GETTY“We are doing all that we can to be ready with the facilities that will be used by French border officials operating the new system whilst we continue to work with the UK government to deliver more seamless travel between the UK and EU.”
Simon Lejeune, Eurostar chief safety and stations officer, commented: “To ensure our customers continue to enjoy a seamless Eurostar experience as we prepare for the implementation of EES, we have made substantial investments in our station infrastructure.
“With support from the government, we have enhanced our facilities and upgraded our technology to meet the new requirements. Eurostar will be fully prepared and compliant by November, ensuring a smooth transition for all our passengers.”
Yann Leriche, chief executive of Eurotunnel owner Getlink, added: “Getlink started working two years ago on the adaptation of its terminal for the new EES regulation – the focus has always been on customer satisfaction, delivering the most competitive crossing time and experience at the border for non-EU travellers.
“This funding will be used to test and add new technology on the UK terminal that will be deployed during peak periods, providing more kiosks, if needed, in addition to the 106 already installed in the UK, plus the recruitment and training of staff whose focus will be to assist EES passengers.
“The group has invested more than £70m since the beginning of the process, designing and building a new dedicated EES Zone on each terminal, making sure that when the new regulation is introduced people will travel through the Channel Tunnel just as easily as they do today.”