Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment has he made of the effect on businesses using the (a) Port of Dover and (b) Channel Tunnel of the reintroduction of customs procedures between the EU and the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Delivering a negotiated deal with the EU remains the Government's top priority, but it is the job of a responsible government to ensure we are prepared for all scenarios, including no-deal.

The Government aims to ensure that movement through ports will continue to be as frictionless as possible in a no-deal scenario, so that the effects on businesses using the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel are minimised. To achieve this, the Government’s no deal roll on-roll off model (which applies at these ports) moves customs processes away from the border. Furthermore, HMRC on 4 February announced transitional simplified procedures (TSP) which will aid businesses using these ports, and the Border Delivery Group is actively engaging with prospective declarants on both sides of the Channel.

As the application of additional customs checks by the EU is outside of our control, the Government has undertaken a range of preparatory measures to mitigate potential impacts and ensure that goods can continue to flow into and out of the UK as freely as possible. These include Operation Brock and other traffic management measures in order to manage HGV flows effectively.