UK Trade with EU: Northern Ireland

(asked on 1st June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the new electronic important declaration requirement referenced in the UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol already exists; and whether development work has begun on that declaration requirement.


Answered by
Penny Mordaunt Portrait
Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
This question was answered on 4th June 2020

I refer the Hon Member to the oral statement - accompanying the publication of the Government Command Paper, the UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol - which was made by my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 20 May. I also refer to the commitment in the Command Paper, to publishing further detailed information and guidance. These will be published in due course.

As the Command Paper, The UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, sets out explicitly, we are clear that there should be no tariffs on internal goods movements because the UK - as the Protocol acknowledges - is a single customs territory. The paper outlines several examples of movements that pose no risk of movement into the EU Single Market - such as a supermarket delivering to its stores in NI. This is a principle to be formalised in the Joint Committee, but as the Command Paper makes clear we consider there to be various ways of making it work in practice. We will work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and businesses to develop these proposals, and produce full guidance to business and third parties before the end of the transition period.

On unfettered access, the Protocol is clear that nothing in it prevents Northern Ireland business enjoying unfettered access to the rest of the UK internal market, and we will legislate to guarantee this by the end of the year.

On agri-food, the Government's approach builds on the long-standing status of the island of Ireland as a single epidemiological zone. As has long been acknowledged, some checks on agri-food will be required to help protect supply chains and the disease-free status of the island of Ireland. These will build on the existing precedents of agri-food checks for live animals arriving in Northern Ireland, from the rest of the UK. Further details are to be discussed with the EU in the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.

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