Oral Answers to Questions

Laurence Robertson Excerpts

Thursday 11th February 2021 Commons Chamber

[Anthony Mangnall (Totnes) (Con)]

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

[Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury) (Con)]

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

[Mrs Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) (Con)]

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

--- Later in debate ---

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend is a formidable advocate for the seafood sector; one of the largest fishing ports in England is in his constituency. He is absolutely right to say that there are means and mechanisms by which we and the EU can work together to smooth the export of high-quality seafood. There have been difficulties and challenges, but we are overcoming them and it is also important that we reserve our own rights when it comes to ensuring that the EU lives up to its side of the bargain.

[Mr Robertson]

Less than an hour ago, my office received a call from a haulier in my constituency who has been sending animal-based products to the continent for 40 years. The vet-checked lorry, which had its seal on, was held up at the Calais compound for 11 hours, even though it was on its way to Germany. It was eventually passed with just a cursory glance. In his meetings with his EU counterparts later today, will my right hon. Friend raise such issues and stress to them that it is not acceptable, and certainly not necessary, to do that?

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. Exporters have gone to great lengths to ensure that the products of animal origin that they are exporting meet the SPS requirements that are in place, and delays of the kind he mentions are unacceptable, so I will investigate that case.