Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of individual customs declarations the CHIEF system can process in each of the next five years.
Answered by Jesse Norman
To meet the required volume of customs declarations expected after the end of the transition period, HMRC has scaled CHIEF as part of ‘No Deal’ planning to 300m declarations per annum. Dual running CDS for the Northern Ireland Protocol alongside CHIEF provides the full volumetric capacity required for future years. Moving to a single customs platform is part of the longer-term strategy for HMRC’s future border ambition.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the policy paper entitled, The Border Operating Model Border, published on 13 July 2020, what estimate has HMRC made of the number of traders that will make customs declarations for the first time under the new system.
Answered by Jesse Norman
In 2019 there were 149,000 VAT registered businesses trading in goods only with the EU. In addition, HMRC estimate that there are approximately 100,000 non-VAT registered businesses in the UK trading in goods with the EU; many of these traders will be making declarations for the first time after the transition period ends.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of customs declarations currently take place on the Customs Declaration Service.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government has been working with trade and industry partners to agree plans to utilise the Customs Declarations Service (CDS) to support implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. For Great Britain the plan is to use CHIEF for EU-GB declarations as it has been scaled as part of No Deal planning.
As announced in the Command Paper, HMRC will soon set out more detailed plans to provide extensive support for businesses moving goods into Northern Ireland, including ensuring that they are ready and able to provide information through CDS.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff vacancies there are on the programme team for the delivery of the Customs Declaration Service.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC manage the Customs Declaration Service programme of work very closely and have prioritised resourcing the changes required for the end of the Transition Period. HMRC have the resources and capability required to deliver the programme. This is kept under review, and where additional resources are required these will be provided.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the electronic declarations of the Goods Vehicle Movement Service will be compatible with the Customs Declaration Service.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Goods Vehicle Movement Service will be integrated across multiple platforms, including the Customs Declaration Service and the UK’s legacy customs system, CHIEF.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff vacancies there are on the programme team for the delivery of the Goods Vehicle Movement Service.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) project is part of a wider programme of work delivering system and business process changes for the end of the Transition Period. HMRC manage the GVMS project very closely and have prioritised resourcing the changes required for the end of the Transition Period. HMRC have the resources and capability required to deliver the project. This is kept under continuous review, and where additional resources are required these will be provided.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate HMRC have made of the number of traders who will be required to complete the additional processes required on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland outlined in the Command Paper entitled, The UK’s approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, published 20 May 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Declaration volumes will depend on how businesses choose to operate, and HMRC are engaging with industry to understand their operating models. As announced in the Command Paper, HMRC will soon set out more detailed plans for extensive support for businesses engaged in the limited additional processes on goods arriving into Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether all traders have been transferred to the Customs Declaration Service; and whether that service is fully operational.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Customs Declaration Service (CDS) has been a live service since August 2018 and is fully operational. The operation of the customs platform is not dependent on completing full trader migration to CDS, as it will be dual running alongside CHIEF. HMRC will continue to work with traders in order to meet requirements for the end of the transition period.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans HMRC has to categorise all goods entering Northern Ireland as at risk from 1 January 2021.
Answered by Jesse Norman
HMRC are not making plans to categorise all goods entering Northern Ireland as ‘at risk’.
As the Government said in the Command Paper published on 20 May, “there should be no tariffs on goods remaining within the UK customs territory. Only those goods ultimately entering Ireland or the rest of the EU, or at clear and substantial risk of doing so, will face tariffs.”
This principle needs to be formalised with the EU within the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.
The UK will not pay any of the tariffs it collects to the EU.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 27 of CP226 The UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, whether HMRC has taken steps to develop a system to reimburse tariffs on goods at risk of entering the EU.
Answered by Jesse Norman
As Great Britain and Northern Ireland are in the same customs territory, no tariffs will be due on goods coming from Great Britain and staying in Northern Ireland, unless those goods are at risk of onward movement into the European Union.
Goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the rest of the world will pay the UK’s tariff unless the goods are at risk of moving into the EU.
As set out in the Command Paper published on 20 May, in order to ensure that trade flows freely, the Government will make full use of the provisions in the Protocol giving the Government the powers to waive and/or reimburse tariffs on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, even where they are classified as ‘at risk’ of entering the EU market.