Question
2. What assessment she has made of the potential merits of the UK joining the EU pact on migration and asylum.
Answer
I have an excellent working relationship with EU partners, particularly with France, which has helped prevent over 50,000 crossings since the election. The EU asylum pact has yet to resolve the challenges of returns within Europe, and currently those returns are not happening at scale, so the pact is not a silver bullet.
Verdict: AMBER (35/100)
The reply gives a direct view on the EU Migration Pact. It says the Pact has not yet resolved returns challenges, that returns are not happening at scale, and that it is not a silver bullet. It does not say whether the UK should join the Pact or weigh the potential benefits of joining, which is the core of the question, so the answer is only partly complete. A member of the public would likely need to ask again specifically about joining and its benefits.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What is the department's assessment or view of the potential merits of the UK joining the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply gives a substantive view of the EU Pact, saying it has yet to resolve returns challenges, returns are not happening at scale, and it is not a silver bullet. This is a real assessment of the Pact's merits, but it does not say whether the UK should join or weigh the potential benefits of joining, so it only partly answers the item. Statements 1 and 2 (the France relationship and the 50,000 crossings figure) do not bear on the Pact's merits. |