Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2023 to Question 155046 on UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland, how the transit procedure which will allow goods to travel from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland using the green lane will operate; whether goods arriving in the Republic of Ireland from Wales which are destined for Northern Ireland will be subject to the same degree of checks as those which go directly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and which part of the Windsor Framework provides for that transit procedure.

We have delivered a new Green Lane which means that goods staying in the UK will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties when they move into Northern Ireland. The Green Lane is open to all UK businesses where they import or sell goods that are not ultimately destined for the EU market. This will include goods travelling from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland using the transit procedure, as the processes otherwise applied for goods imported into the Republic of Ireland are a matter for the Irish Government. Following EU exit, the UK successfully negotiated membership of the Common Transit Convention. This is already part of domestic UK law by the Customs Procedures (EU Exit) Regulations 2018. There is already guidance on the use of transit procedures on Gov.uk, and as we bring the new green lane on stream we will set out further guidance on how those arrangements operate.