Oral Answers to Questions

James Wild Excerpts

Thursday 11th February 2021 Commons Chamber

[Lia Nici (Great Grimsby) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to help ensure goods can continue to flow freely between the UK and the EU.

[James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

What steps the Government are taking to help ensure goods can continue to flow freely between the UK and the EU.

[Anthony Mangnall (Totnes) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to help ensure frictionless exports to the EU.

--- Later in debate ---

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The highest-quality seafood in the whole of Europe is produced in Great Grimsby. Indeed, I remember my dad, when he ran a fish processing business, sending some of the fish that he bought at Aberdeen fish market to Grimsby for processing, and it was enjoyed on tables across Europe. She is absolutely right to say that there are still some bureaucratic obstacles that we need to negotiate and navigate. We have set up a specific seafoods export working group, which meets twice weekly, and we are engaging with our friends in France in order to ensure that we can continue to enjoy Great Grimsby fish.

[James Wild [V]]

Two exporters in Kings Lynn, Guy Raymond Engineering and Captain Fawcett, a gentleman’s grooming firm, have raised concerns about waiting up to 16 hours for HMRC transit documentation, delays in customs clearance in France and other countries as they interpret the rules differently, and each courier firm demanding different informational declarations. This is delaying the delivery of their products, so will my right hon. Friend take up these issues with courier firms, HMRC and our EU partners so that goods can continue to flow to customers?

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that in order to ensure that we have a seamless flow of trade, each individual element in that chain needs to be working as effectively as possible, so we are working with courier companies to ensure that we can smooth any difficulties, HMRC is looking at easements and facilitations, and of course we are talking to our EU friends and neighbours to ensure that there is a consistent approach.