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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| E-borders 'travel chaos' warning | E-borders 'travel chaos' warning |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| New electronic border controls being brought in by the government could cause chaos for travellers, the Commons home affairs committee has been warned. | |
| Scanning the passports of all car and coach passengers could double waiting times at ferry ports, MPs were told. | |
| And Eurostar warned extra waiting times could "negate" a 40 minute journey time cut gained by a £6.1bn line upgrade. | |
| Electronic exit and entry controls are due to be fully operational by 2014. | |
| The system, which allows passports to be checked against an "alert list" in real time, is aimed at combating illegal immigration and fighting terrorism. | |
| But travel operators, from the rail and shipping industries, told MPs the Home Office had not consulted them properly and warned that the system could lead to unacceptable delays. | |
| Tim Reardon, of the UK Chamber of Shipping, said passport checks currently took about 20 seconds but under the new system they could take 45 seconds or more. | |
| "That is a significant increase and we don't believe it could be accommodated at peak times... it would be like trying to jam a square peg into a round hole," he told the committee. | "That is a significant increase and we don't believe it could be accommodated at peak times... it would be like trying to jam a square peg into a round hole," he told the committee. |
| He said the shipping industry was working with the Home Office to find a way of speeding the process up. | He said the shipping industry was working with the Home Office to find a way of speeding the process up. |
| But he added: "We are trying to find a way. We haven't yet found one. It is possible there isn't a solution there to be found." | But he added: "We are trying to find a way. We haven't yet found one. It is possible there isn't a solution there to be found." |
| Mr Reardon told the committee the data can not be collected in advance because many people do not book places on ferries - they simply turn up at the port. | Mr Reardon told the committee the data can not be collected in advance because many people do not book places on ferries - they simply turn up at the port. |
| He said there would be significant delays when there are vehicles carrying large numbers of people, such as coaches. | He said there would be significant delays when there are vehicles carrying large numbers of people, such as coaches. |
| And he also raised concerns that the collection of the data before departure from foreign ports may break data protection laws in other countries. | And he also raised concerns that the collection of the data before departure from foreign ports may break data protection laws in other countries. |
| The firm behind Thomson and First Choice Holidays told MPs it can not collect all the extra data the government wants without serious delays for passengers during the school holidays. | |
| And Eurostar said its waiting times could double at its rail terminals and cost the company "several millions of investment," as well as potentially wiping out planned faster journeys between London and other European cities. |