Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his response is to the call all for a six-month delay to checks in the Irish Sea in the document entitled: Implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol: What Business in Northern Ireland needs & why published by the NI Business Brexit Working Group.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The UK Government will continue to prepare to meet our obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol, in line with the approach set out in the 20 May Command Paper, the UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol. In this paper, we committed to providing guidance to business, including our plans for extensive HMRC support for Northern Ireland businesses engaging in any new processes under the Protocol. We will publish that guidance this summer.
We will also continue to engage with business through the Business Engagement Forum, which met for the first time on 10 June and which will play an important part in our thinking as we implement the Protocol.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to businesses on shipping goods (a) to and (b) from Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK in preparation for the end of the transition period.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The UK Government will meet its obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol, in line with the approach set out in the Command Paper published on 20 May, the UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol. We will ensure that the Protocol is implemented in a way that upholds the gains of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, and which protects the interests of the people and economy of Northern Ireland. We committed in the UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol to provide guidance to business, including our plans for extensive support for NI businesses engaging in new processes. We will publish that guidance during the course of this summer.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, by what date the UK Government plans to have additional (a) staff and (b) infrastructure in place to comply with the Northern Ireland protocol in relation to checks on products moving between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The UK Government will meet its obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol, in line with the approach set out in the Command Paper published on 20 May, the UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol. We will ensure that the Protocol is implemented in a way that upholds the gains of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, and which protects the interests of the people and economy of Northern Ireland. We committed in the UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol to provide guidance to business, including our plans for extensive support for NI businesses engaging in new processes. We will publish that guidance during the course of this summer.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions has he had with business leaders in Northern Ireland who are calling for a six month delay to customs checks in the Irish Sea following the transition period.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are declared quarterly on GOV.UK.