Tracing all travellers entering or leaving the UK would be considered illegal on European routes under the EU treaty, a government Committee has said today.
The e-borders programme has been pushed by the government for security reasons and to speed up travel, allowing agencies to keep information electronically on those coming in and out of the country.
However, a report from the Home Affairs Committee has called for the project to be halted until issues around legality and data protection have been dealt with.
Chairman of the Committee, Keith Vaz, said in a statement: "The major stumbling block, and a very disappointing oversight, is that we are sure that what the programme requires will be illegal under the EU Treaty."
He added: "The programme is intended to cost the taxpayer 1.2 billion and may be illegal. It is shocking that money has already been spent on a programme which could never be implemented."
In addition to these serious issues, a number of practical difficulties were highlighted by the committee such as cost and coordinating with other countries.
Vaz said that the UK Border Agency must stop the scheme until the issues were cleared up and concluded his statement saying: "We cannot have another massive IT project which flounders or is even abandoned at huge cost to the taxpayer, it is simply unacceptable."
However, Phil Woolas, the government's Border and Immigration Minister, has denied that the programme is illegal and said it has EU backing.
In a statement released today he said: "e-Borders is fully compliant with EU law and this has been confirmed by the European Commission."
"This allows us to continue our efforts to secure our border by counting people in and out."
E-border gates are due to be put into place at Heathrow and have already been tested and launched at Stansted, Birmingham, Manchester and Gatwick airports.
-
Asus ZenScreen Fold OLED MQ17QH reviewReviews A stunning foldable 17.3in OLED display – but it's too expensive to be anything more than a thrilling tech demo
-
How the UK MoJ achieved secure networks for prisons and offices with Palo Alto NetworksCase study Adopting zero trust is a necessity when your own users are trying to launch cyber attacks
-
Starmer bets big on AI to unlock public sector savingsNews AI adoption could be a major boon for the UK and save taxpayers billions, according to prime minister Keir Starmer.
-
UK government targets ‘startup’ mindset in AI funding overhaulNews Public sector AI funding will be overhauled in the UK in a bid to simplify processes and push more projects into development.
-
UK government signs up Anthropic to improve public servicesNews The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to explore how the company's Claude AI assistant could be used to improve access to public services.
-
The UK’s AI ambitions face one major hurdle – finding enough home-grown talentNews Research shows UK enterprises are struggling to fill AI roles, raising concerns over the country's ability to meet expectations in the global AI race.
-
US government urged to overhaul outdated technologyNews A review from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found legacy technology and outdated IT systems are negatively impacting efficiency.
-
Government urged to improve tech procurement practicesNews The National Audit Office highlighted wasted money and a lack of progress on major digital transformation programmes
-
Government says new data bill will free up millions of hours of public sector timeNews The UK government is proposing new data laws it says could free up millions of hours of police and NHS time every year and boost the UK economy by £10 billion.
-
Online Safety Act slammed by rights groups as bill gains royal assentNews The Online Safety Act has been described as a veiled attempt to secure access to encrypted messages
