Harbour checks, staffing and costs (FOI)

Request 

Ferry passengers from France who transit through Jersey en-route to the UK are now being asked to disembark, clear passport control in Jersey, and then get back on the boat to continue their journey. 

Please can you confirm: 

A

Is this due to Brexit?

B 

When did these checks begin? 

C

Staff numbers: Have more staff been employed at the harbour (customs/immigration, Ports of Jersey staff, other - please list) to deal with this increased workload? Please provide figures showing how many FTE staff were employed in an average week before these checks began, and an average week since they were introduced. 

D

Staff hours: Are staff at the harbour (customs/immigration, Ports of Jersey staff, other - please list) now having to work longer hours as a result of these checks? Please provide figures showing how many hours were worked in an average week before these checks began, and an average week since they were introduced. 

E

Staff wages: What impact have these checks had on staffing requirements (customs/immigration, Ports of Jersey staff, other - please list) at the St Helier Harbour, in terms of wages? Please provide figures showing staff wages in an average week before these checks began, and an average week since they were introduced. 

F

Are there any other additional costs (non-staff) resulting from these checks? If so, please list them. 

G

Are these costs (wages, other) being fully funded by the Government of Jersey and Ports of Jersey? If not, please provide a list showing where additional funds are coming from. 

H

Are ferries which are due to travel onwards to the UK now remaining in the St Helier Harbour for a longer period of time than was previously the case? Please provide figures showing how long ferries travelling onwards remained in Jersey in an average week before these checks began, and an average week since they were introduced. 

I

Since these checks were introduced, to date, how many passengers passing through Jersey en-route to the UK have cleared the border in Jersey before returning to the ferry and travelling onwards? Please provide a total figure, and a breakdown by nationality. 

Response 

A

Passengers arriving into the Common Travel Area from France, including all those passengers arriving in or transiting through Jersey, have been required to be subject to an immigration control in Jersey since at least the early 1970s and Brexit is not a factor.  From time-to-time specific arrangements were in place with specific carriers for Immigration Officers to conduct passport checks on board transiting vessels however staff limitations, operational demands, and security requirements (all passengers are screened on arrival) have not allowed on-board controls to be conducted for several years.  The reason behind passengers transiting through Jersey in this way lies with shipping company schedules and routing and there have been periods spanning several years where no, or very few, transits have occurred.

B

Please see response to (A) above.
C

No additional Customs and Immigration staff have been employed to meet this workload which is met within existing resources and work patterns.  Customs and Immigration staff are used flexibly across a range of duties, so it is not possible to provide details on how many staff are employed at the harbour specifically.  The number of staff on duty at any one time varies from day to day depending on operational requirements and other commitments. 

D

Customs and Immigration staff hours have not changed, and each full-time member of staff works 37 hours per week.  The clearance of transit passengers has always formed part of the routine work for Customs and Immigration staff. 

E

There has been no impact on staffing requirements or salaries and as transit checks have been in existence for several decades the Government of Jersey is unable to provide a salary comparison therefore, Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

F

No additional costs are incurred.

G

Please see responses to (E) and (F) above. 

H

The information requested is not held by the Government of Jersey, therefore, Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies.  However, it may be held by Ports of Jersey so you might wish to send your request in writing to: ask@ports.je or by post to: Ports of Jersey, St Peter, Jersey, JE1 1BY.  It should be noted that Ports of Jersey are not a Scheduled Public Authority (SPA), therefore, they are not required to respond under Freedom of Information legislation.

I

The information you have requested is not held by the Government of Jersey, therefore, Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

Article applied

Article 10 - Obligation of scheduled public authority to confirm or deny holding Information

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if –

(a) a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority; and

(b) the authority does not hold the information, it must inform the applicant accordingly.