Member

In Committee, two important, intertwined issues emerged. First, across the House there is agreement on the need for effective co-operation. The Border Security Commander is explicitly tasked with working with a range of international bodies, including Europol, to deliver border security objectives. Europol is critical for disrupting trafficking operations, enhancing law enforcement capabilities and providing necessary specialised training to officials involved in enforcement. The Government’s approach, which is quite different from that of the previous Government, has been to encourage and engage in this co-operation—in Committee, the Minister described how important it was. That is why the UK, as I understand it, now maintains this significant permanent presence at the agency’s headquarters in The Hague. So this continued engagement is considered a key element for working across national boundaries and is vital for national security.