Steve McCabe – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department gives on appropriate action to be taken by border staff dealing with a parent with a British passport entering the UK with their child who has a different surname.

James Brokenshire

Checks are conducted on passengers arriving in the UK in accordance with the
Border Force Operating Mandate, regardless of nationality. Border Force staff
also undergo mandatory training to ensure they are aware of their statutory
duty to safeguard the welfare of children. Where a child is encountered at the
border, and it is not immediately apparent that the accompanying adult is their
parent or guardian, officers will ask questions to satisfy themselves of the
child’s welfare and to discharge their statutory duty. This will be done as
quickly and as sensitively as possible to avoid unnecessary delay to the
passengers’ journey.