Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what statutory and additional powers apply within Freeports to (a) law enforcement agencies, (b) trading standards officers, (c) HM Revenue and Customs and (d) the National Crime Agency.

Freeport status in no way undermines or weakens existing port security arrangements. Special customs status - which builds on, rather than radically departing from, facilitations available elsewhere in the UK - is available only on specific 'customs sites' within the wider Freeport footprint. These are secure sites administered by a specially authorised 'Customs Site Operator' or CSO. More information on Freeports security requirements can be found in the Freeports Annual Report.