Brexit: Preparedness for EU Exit Debate
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Lord Butler of Brockwell
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Brexit: Preparedness for EU Exit
Lord Butler of Brockwell Excerpts(6 years ago)
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Lord Callanan
My noble friend makes a very good point. We know that the French National Assembly and the French Government are putting in place preparations for no deal, as are many European countries. That is the responsible thing to do, and I am really not sure why the Opposition think it is such a bad thing to put in place sensible contingency plans.
Lord Butler of Brockwell (CB)
My Lords, the NAO report states that the border systems cannot be ready in time for a no deal. Is the Minister saying that the NAO report is wrong?
Lord Callanan
We are putting in place the responses necessary in case of no deal. We have decided to prioritise safety and security, the flow of people and goods and then compliance activity, including the collection of revenue in the short term. Contingency plans are being prepared with the aim of managing all the potential issues, such as queues of traffic in Kent and continuing supplies of essential goods and medicines.