Immigration Minister, Damien Green, has admitted in Parliament that Durham Tees Valley Airport is not 100% secure but the Government is trying to make it better.
Mr Green made the admission when local MP Alex Cunningham questioned him in the House of Commons over claims that the airport is not as secure as it should be.
Alex said:
“We are getting conflicting information from officials there, with one claiming that security is very much compromised, while another claims it is 100% secure. Will the minister tell the House who is right and at least try and reassure the people of Teesside and beyond that their airport is taking the necessary steps to protect them and our borders?”
In reply, the Immigration Minister stated: “Different people working at the front line, presumably alongside each other, can genuinely have different perceptions of how good the system is. I would not go as far as the optimistic one of his constituents who says that it is 100% secure all the time—it would be foolish for any Immigration Minister to say at any time that every part of our border is 100% secure.
The Minister did however claim the government was trying to make things better: “I can absolutely reassure him, his constituents and the workers at the airport that we are doing our best to set up systems that make it more secure, and that we will keep doing so.”
Alex said:
“Clearly people should be concerned about security at airports and our borders. The Tory-led government have already halted programmes designed to improve security and it is critical that they now do the right thing, invest in proper checks, stop the thousands of staff being sacked by the UK Border Agency staff and equip them properly to protect our country from illegal immigrants, drug dealers and even more dangerous people.”
