Written questions by Carmichael.

A) how many mutual legal assistance requests relating to the enforcement of civil fraud judgments have been made to the United Arab Emirates since 2022; b) in how many cases those requests have resulted in enforcement action; c) and whether mutual legal assistance has been sought in relation to the High Court judgment in Njord Partners SMA-Seal LP & ors v Astir Maritime & ors [2024].

The UK Central authority within the Home Office leads on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. This question would be for the Foreign Process Section at the Royal Courts of Justice who are the Central Authority for mutual legal assistance in civil matters.

A) how many asset recovery cases involving cooperation with the United Arab Emirates have resulted in funds being returned to UK victims since 2020; b) what metrics are used to measure the operational effectiveness of the UK–UAE illicit finance partnership; and c) whether that partnership is being applied to support recovery in cases including the High Court judgment in Njord Partners SMA-Seal LP & ors v Astir Maritime & ors [2024].

The UK–UAE Partnership to Tackle Illicit Financial Flows is focused on strengthening how we work together on illicit finance, fraud and asset recovery, including the return of the proceeds of crime.Since it was established in 2021, the UK and the UAE have worked closely to improve cooperation between our law enforcement agencies, to share information more effectively, and to put in place stronger arrangements to support joint operational work.The effectiveness of the partnership and these objectives are kept under regular review through established operational and governance arrangements that support this cooperation.Decisions on asset sharing are taken on a case‑by‑case basis. Asset sharing allows recovered funds to be shared with other jurisdictions where there has been joint effort to recover criminal proceeds, and helps to encourage continued international cooperation in this area.The UK publishes annual statistics on domestic and international asset recovery through the Asset Recovery Annual Statistical Bulletin, which includes data on completed international asset sharing arrangements. The Home Office is not able to comment on, or make assessments in relation to, individual cases.

What steps her Department is taking to improve the accuracy of individual identification carried out by the technical infrastructure which performs border checks.

This Government’s priority is to maintain strong border security and steps are always taken to constantly improve the accuracy of individual identification before arrival and at the border.Border Force checks all passengers arriving at the UK border on scheduled services to identify individuals who pose, or are suspected to pose, a risk to the national interest.Identities, and combinations of names and dates of birth, are not necessarily unique. Individuals who share names with persons of interest may experience closer examination than those who do not, and Border Force Officers may ask them additional questions to establish their identity and allow them to proceed as quickly as possible.Enhancements to the technical infrastructure for border checks are being rolled out to assist Border Force officers as they make their decisions.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the treatment that people with similar names to other individuals on watchlists receive during border checks at airports.

Our priority is to maintain a secure border. Border Force performs checks on all passengers arriving at the UK border on scheduled services to identify individuals who pose, or are suspected to pose, a risk to the national interest. Identities, and combinations of names and dates of birth, are not necessarily unique. Individuals who share names with persons of interest may experience closer examination than would otherwise be the case. The Home Office is making significant investment to improve the underlying technical infrastructure which performs border checks to identify individuals more precisely. This will reduce the number of individuals incorrectly matched to persons of interest and enable Border Force to identify more quickly individuals who are not to be confused with persons of interest. We expect these improvements to start having effect over the summer.