Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many (a) Northern Ireland businesses have been adversely impacted by and (b) complaints the Government has received on the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol since 1 January 2021.

I have engaged extensively in the build up to and since the Protocol was implemented at the start of this year, talking to businesses throughout Northern Ireland and across sectors. These experiences have also been set out to me in writing as correspondence and as reports for individuals businesses and business representative organisations.

I have heard first-hand about the range of experiences under the Protocol as it is currently operating for people and businesses in Northern Ireland. Where concerns have been raised - for example about reduced choice of products from Great Britain, burdensome checks and processes on products for supermarkets, cancelled deliveries, increased costs, risks to the supply of generic medicines and the impact on investment and growth - these have shaped and guided the Government’s approach to Protocol implementation.