Home Office axes e-Borders contract

In a written statement to Parliament on 22 July 2010, Green said the home secretary has no confidence in Raytheon, the prime supplier of the e-Borders contract. He said that since July 2009 the company has been in breach of contract. The deal with Raytheon, the lead contractor in the Trusted Borders consortium, was signed in November 2007. Worth more than £650m, the contract was expected to develop and implement e-Borders programme. Green added: "The government is determined to get value for money from its major contracts and requires the highest standard of performance from its suppliers. We will now be seeking alternative providers to continue to deliver this project as a matter of urgency. "We have already committed to improve our existing border controls and bring a greater focus to organised crime by introducing a Border Police Force. This is on top of the fingerprinting of visa applicants and watchlist checks at UK border controls." At the end of 2009 a highly critical report from the Home Affairs Committee questioned the legality of the e-Border programme. As shadow immigration minister, Green said at the time: "It beggars belief that after so many years of pursuing this project the government still isn't sure whether it is even legal. Over a billion pounds of taxpayers' money has been spent on e-Borders and yet many of the most basic problems have not been resolved." The scheme has also been criticised by rail and ferry operators, who have said that e-Borders, which will electronically check passengers, has been designed with airports in mind, and is inappropriate for rail and ferry terminals. They have claimed that scanning four passports for a car checking in at a port would take between 50%-80% longer, and coaches pose a particular problem because the ferry operator has no contact with passengers until they arrive.