Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, comprising MPs from different parties, has called on the government to model expected passenger volumes in 2022 ahead of the summer peak.
In its EU Exit: UK Border Post Transition report, the MPs said borders “may be further challenged when the EU introduces requirements for biometric passport checks”.
It added: “Passenger volumes, since the new border arrangements were introduced at the end of the transition period have been a fraction of pre-pandemic levels.
“With closer to normal passenger volumes and the EU’s planned introduction of its new Entry and Exit System to enter the EU expected in 2022, there is a risk that it will take longer to process passengers travelling from the UK to the EU.”
The report said there was particular concern at UK ports, where EU officials carry out border checks on the UK side of the border “and where queues might build up in the UK”.
“The Home Office is in conversation with the French authorities about how they might operate the new controls without causing queues, but those conversations are at an early stage,” it said.
The committee recommended: “Government must set out its scenario planning and modelling for passenger volumes in 2022 and clarify how it will manage the increased pressures and any contingencies that may be required, including those relating to new EU Entry and Exit System requirements at juxtaposed controls.”
The committee suggested ministers provide, within six months, “an update on its scenario planning and whether its 2022 modelling has proved accurate”.
