Following the NATO decision to deploy ships to assist Turkish and Greek coastguards to intercept migrant boats and disrupt the people smugglers’ business model, Anne Main asks how we can be sure that the migrants who are returned are not lured back by the people smugglers to try their luck several times.

Mrs Anne Main (St Albans) (Con): Given that this is an extremely lucrative trade for people smugglers and that, as the Minister says, Turkey does not have the capacity to do this on its own, how can we be sure that this is not a revolving door involving migrants who are being taken back to Turkey, allowed to stay there a while, and then get back on boats again to try their luck several times?

Michael Fallon: The best assurance that I can give my hon. Friend is that we are determined to try to help Turkey to break that business model, by ensuring that those who smuggle and send women or unaccompanied children on insecure boats for what may be a short but still a very dangerous sea crossing, can be identified, charged and prosecuted through the Turkish courts, so that we eventually discourage the flow from the beginning.

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