Dear Mr. Watson,

Thank you for your email of 08 January 2009 where you requested information about Project IRIS performance data. This falls to be dealt with under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

You requested the following information:

1. The total number of people enrolled in the IRIS scheme to date.

Total number enrolled on the scheme to date is 263,778 broken down as follows:-

2. The number of people attempting to enrol in the IRIS scheme per calendar month for each month of operation since January 2006.

The table above (under reply to number 1) details the number of people successfully enrolled on the system per month from January 2006.

Details of people who attempted to enroll on the IRIS system but did not meet the criteria for enrolment, therefore did not successfully enrol, is not recorded by UKBA.

3. The number of people eligible to enrol in the scheme who applied to use it, but were unable to enrol, per calendar month for each month of operation since January 2006.

Records of individuals who were unable to successfully enrol on the IRIS scheme due to system unavailability are not recorded by UKBA.

Records relating to IRIS system availability are recorded and these are detailed in the embedded file below. The records are by week for each IRIS installation, January 2006 to date. Table 1 shows the percentage time the enrolment facilities were available, and Table 2 the percentage of time the IRIS system was available at each location.

4. The number of occasions when an individual attempting to enter the country using an IRIS machine instead had to leave the machine by the air-side (entry) door, per calendar month for each month of operation, since January 2006.

The total number of IRIS passengers rejected from barriers to date are 13,763 broken down as follows:

*Figures not recorded.

Figures are for all IRIS installations located at the following airports: Birmingham, Gatwick North, Gatwick South, Manchester Terminals 1 and 2 and Heathrow Terminals 1 to 5.

The IRIS system cannot supply a breakdown of the reasons for a rejection; passengers can be rejected by the barrier for a number of reasons including the following:-

5. The number of occasions when an individual successfully entered the country using IRIS equipment per calendar month for each month. We note that you are seeking information about the number of IRIS users, but not any information whatsoever about individual IRIS users.

The total number of successful IRIS barrier crossings to date is 1,726,095 broken down as follows:-

6. Please include copies of material which you hold in the form of paper and electronic records including email.

Other than the details provided above which have been extracted through the IRIS system, there are no other supporting documents held by UKBA.

In keeping with the spirit and effect of the Freedom of Information Act, all information is assumed to be releasable to the public unless exempt. The Department will, therefore, be simultaneously releasing to the public the information you requested together with any related information that will provide a key to its wider context.

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request an independent internal review of our handling of your request. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the UK Border Agency sending a substantive reply to your original request and should be addressed to:

UK Border Agency

Central Freedom of Information Team

11^th Floor

Lunar House, Short Corridor

40 Wellesley Road

Croydon

CR9 2BY

During the independent review the department's handling of your information request will b e reassessed by staff who were not involved in providing you with this response. Should you remain dissatisfied after this internal review, you will have a right of complaint to the Information Commissioner as established by section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act.

Yours sincerely,

UK Border Agency