P&O exempt from stowaway fines
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II Ferry operator P&L Stena Line has won exemption from 22,000-a-head fines for carrying illegal immigrants into the UK, prompting calls for hauliers to be given similar treatment.
The Home Office award of "approved gate check status" follows the success of R&O's security measures at Calais which have resulted in more than 3,000 stowaways being detected since December.
But Road Haulage Association spokeswoman Kate Gibbs says singling P&O out for special treatment is unfair to hauliers: "Our members are taking every precaution possible, yet are still liable to these fines, which can easily put them out of business."
Geoff Dossetter, spokesman for the Freight Transport Association, says the £2,000 fines were introduced on the assumption that hauliers were accepting bribes. "We think it's time the government changes its attitude and looks more favourably and more generously towards the industry," he adds.
But the Home Office says ferry operators are covered by different legislation from the Immigration & Asylum Act which rules hauliers. This makes no provision for special exemptions, such as the one granted to MO. The Home Office also argues that hauliers can avoid paying the fines by showing they have taken the necessary precautions outlined in the Act.
This is widely disputed by hauliers. Peter Cook, managing director of Durham-based Peter Cook Transport, which was one of the first firms to receive a stowaway fine, says: "In theory, the option is already there for an operator to prove to immigration officials that he is running a well-thought-out and properly audited security scheme. But they aren't interested in that—we know that from our own experience."
P&D's security measures are costing 2500,000 a year and involve carrying out CO2 checks in all trailers. Spokeswoman Gail lsted says the exemption will make little difference, as the company has not incurred any penalties because the checks were introduced: "We see it as recognition for the work we have done to stem the tide of illegal immigration."
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