Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of staffing required to implement the commitments within the Northern Ireland Protocol on checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and checks on goods coming to the UK from the EU under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement; whether those staffing levels have been met; and what additional funding has been allocated to support those staffing requirements.

On staffing, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ31420 on 27 July 2021.

As announced on 14 September, full customs declarations and checks on goods coming to the UK from the EU under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement will be introduced as planned on 1 January 2022, although safety and security declarations will not be required until 1 July 2022. The Northern Ireland Protocol is still under review and therefore providing an accurate estimate of the level of staffing would not be substantive.