Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much of the £2 million allocated to helping traders to make customs declarations has been drawn down by traders upskilling their capacity to make customs declarations; how many grant funding applications have been made to that fund; and many traders have been successful in such applications.

This £2 million funding to support the cost of training is part of a wider £8 million investment to support the sector ahead of the UK leaving the EU, which includes a further £3 million in grant funding for IT improvements and £3 million which is being used to increase training provision in this area.

Applications are still being received, but as of 5 March 2019 124 applications have been submitted for the training grants available to customs intermediaries and traders who complete customs declarations. Applications are subject to a review process once submitted, and so far 43 training grants have either been offered or have already been paid‎.