Home Affairs Committee announces a new inquiry into implications of Turkey's accession to the EU

The Committee will take evidence particularly in relation to:

• Legal and illegal migration flows (including whether there would be any need for transitional arrangements to be imposed by the UK on Turkish nationals);
• The security of the EU’s external border; and
• Serious organised crime across the EU, particularly that relating to the trafficking of drugs and people.

The Committee will not take a position as to whether or not Turkey should be allowed to join the EU; a decision based on considerations that go beyond its remit.

Organisations and individuals interested in making written submissions are invited to do so by Friday 18th February 2011. Submissions must be no longer than 2,500 words. Further advice on making a submission can be found below.

Oral evidence sessions will be held during February and March 2011: further announcements will be made in due course.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Written evidence should if possible be in Word or rich text format—not PDF format—and sent by e-mail. The use of colour and expensive-to-print material, e.g. photographs, should be avoided. The body of the e-mail must include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. The e-mail should also make clear who the submission is from.

Submissions must address the terms of reference. They should be in the format of a self-contained memorandum. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference, and the document must include an executive summary. Further guidance on the submission of evidence.

Submissions should be original work, not previously published or circulated elsewhere, though previously published work can be referred to in a submission and submitted as supplementary material. Once submitted, your submission becomes the property of the Committee and no public use should be made of it unless you have first obtained permission from the Clerk of the Committee.

Please bear in mind that the Committee is not able to investigate individual cases.

The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to publish the written evidence it receives, either by printing the evidence, publishing it on the internet or making it publicly available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure; the Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.

For data protection purposes, it would be helpful if individuals wishing to submit written evidence send their contact details in a covering letter or e-mail. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

The remit of the Home Affairs Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Home Office and its associated public bodies.