Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Allister Excerpts
Thursday 24th April 2025

(1 day, 15 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Pat McFadden Portrait Pat McFadden
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I will find out exactly where we are with this matter and then write to the right hon. Member.

Jim Allister Portrait Jim Allister (North Antrim) (TUV)
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Under the Windsor framework, the Government, through the Cabinet Office, regularly supply data to the European Union about the number and type of checks conducted at the Irish sea border, but they refuse to provide that data to Members of this House. When I was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the oversight of those checks lay with the local Department, I was able to acquire that, but now that it is under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Members who ask those questions get a refusal of an answer. Why is that?

Nick Thomas-Symonds Portrait Nick Thomas-Symonds
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I am perfectly happy to look into the matter that the hon. and learned Gentleman raises. On the UK-EU reset, I very much hope that if the Government are able to secure a sanitary and phytosanitary agreement that they will reduce the number of checks on the Irish sea.