Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Tuesday 22nd March 2022

The Government publishes quarterly statistics on small boats and provides data to media on days when there are arrivals. No decision has been made on the approach to daily data going forward.

We are seeing an unacceptable rise in small boat crossings and we will continue to focus all our efforts on tackling these dangerous Channel journeys.

The Home Office publishes a whole range of immigration statistics on a regular basis in its migration statistics collection.

The information in these publications is regularly reviewed in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics. Where it is clearly in the public interest to do so, we will publish new statistics and amend existing statistics to ensure they continue to provide transparency around key government policies and issues.

The Government fully recognises the importance of publishing comprehensive statistics, which is particularly important in an area such as small boat crossings, which is a ministerial priority and of interest to the wider public.

Following advice from the independent UK Statistics Authority on making sure statistics on small boat crossings are published in an orderly way, the Home Office published a quarterly statistics release on irregular migration to the UK, to provide a clear picture of the small boats issue to the public. The ‘Irregular migration to the UK’ report, which includes statistics on those arriving across the English Channel in small boats, was published for the first time on 24 February 2022.

The small boats data will form part of regular quarterly statistics reports going forward throughout 2022 and beyond.

The release includes statistics on the total number of small boat arrivals as well as additional breakdowns including nationality, gender and age and detections on other methods of irregular entry. This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to improving data transparency and accessibility, and providing important additional context.

We are fully committed to publishing independent validated and comprehensive statistics in this way which is equally accessible to all and builds confidence in data on an area of great public importance and interest.

The decision to publish small boats figures in a quarterly report ensures regular statistics are released in an orderly, transparent way that is accessible to everyone, meeting the principles set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

The need for more statistics must be weighed up against other considerations. This includes the practicalities and costs of producing robust, assured data derived from operational systems, and presenting data in a way that enhances the public’s understanding of key issues. This involves putting the data into context and looking at the longer-term picture to ensure short-term fluctuations in the data are not over-emphasised, which can be misleading.

We must also ensure efforts to release data are proportionate, granting the public servants involved the flexibility to respond to the most important issues as they emerge and reflecting the best use of government resources. In the case of small boats, our immediate priority is the welfare of migrants. This means that data systems may not be immediately updated and are not designed to provide real time information. To do so increases the risk of providing inaccurate information.

Currently small boats numbers are issued to the media on days when there are crossings. This is operational data, not official statistics, and has not undergone the level of quality assurance of a formal statistics publication, and may therefore be inaccurate.

The Home Office continues to work with the UK Statistics Authority to ensure our approach to releasing information meets the expected standards for government statistics and continues to respond to the public interest. It recognises the public interest in this area and as yet, no decision has been made in regard to the more frequent release of small boat data. In the meantime, the Home Office continues to provide data upon request to media on days when there are small boat crossings.

Home Office