Cruise Scotland fears immigration checks will harm business

[joebloggs]

common sense to check everyone, whether they come by land, sea or air

Changes to the system of immigration checks for cruise ship passengers could deter liners from stopping in Scotland, it has been claimed.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20904585

[Dedworth]

Then let the cruise companies be deterred, it's only the Red Bus tour company and a few shops in Edinburgh who benefit from these 12 hour stops. All those arriving in the UK need be be properly checked - if it was up to me I'd seriously up the number of random stops on UK registered vehicles arriving from Europe.

I recall in about 1997 driving off the SeaCat which was then sailing into Folkestone at about 1am on a stormy winters night - all customs and immigration staff had gone home I could have had a car load of illegals and terrorists.

[joebloggs]

I recall in about 1997 driving off the SeaCat which was then sailing into Folkestone at about 1am on a stormy winters night - all customs and immigration staff had gone home I could have had a car load of illegals and terrorists.

1am hey, what was your car full off dedworth

[RickyR]

Realistically, pre-inspection of documents is sufficient in most countries so I don't see why the UK Border Farce is wasting money checking the least likely method of entering the country, and ignoring the massive gaps elsewhere....
Cruise ships bring massive benefits to local economies, many small businesses and personnel are involved in faciliting their arrivals. The tours involve the employment of guides, drivers and encourage the local tourism industry.
That being said, I think the cruise ships will still happily stop in scotland, even if border checks are required on each passenger, as long as the border agency can provide the people to do it...

[Dedworth]

Realistically, pre-inspection of documents is sufficient in most countries so I don't see why the UK Border Farce is wasting money checking the least likely method of entering the country, and ignoring the massive gaps elsewhere....
Cruise ships bring massive benefits to local economies, many small businesses and personnel are involved in faciliting their arrivals. The tours involve the employment of guides, drivers and encourage the local tourism industry.
That being said, I think the cruise ships will still happily stop in scotland, even if border checks are required on each passenger, as long as the border agency can provide the people to do it...

A £200 mini cruise or whatever from Norway or suchlike would be an easy way in through the soft underbelly for any terrorist or extremist.

Surely they can find some low grade goons/jobsworths and get them off the dole queue there must be a saving in benefits somewhere

[grahamw48]

I'm sure dealing with illegal immigrants/asylum seekers and other flotsum and jetsum costs the country a great deal more than the paltry amount generated by such tourism.

We have a right to have our borders PROPERLY protected !

[Dedworth]

1am hey, what was your car full off dedworth

It was a big Volvo estate full of DAB & Grolsch lager plus other booty. I remember the day like it was yesterday - been on a day trip to Bruges with my Mum on the LeShuttle. We had a nice lunch and headed back to the tunnel for something like a 6pm departure. Chaos - tunnel had been shut due to a fire on a freight wagon (I think it was closed for about 3 months). We were amongst the first to be prevented from travelling - best they could put us on was the Sea Cat along the coast at Boulogne which was well late because of appalling weather in the Channel. There were a lot of sick people on that boat but I was OK having got my sea legs crossing the Bay of Biscay a few times at 10 years old