Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC has taken to help improve the rate at which checks are performed on goods imported into the UK in each of the last twelve months.

The Government’s priority is to keep goods moving and avoid delays at the border. HMRC use a risk based and intelligence-led response to compliance issues, working alongside Border Force.

As the Government has made consistently clear, we will not compromise on the security of the UK at the border. Keeping goods flowing over the border is of vital importance.

HMRC, Border Force and other Government departments make targeted interventions. These are based on intelligence and threat assessment and will typically involve documentary checks and physical interventions, designed, wherever possible, to avoid delaying traffic flows across the border.

HMRC will continue to work closely with industry to ensure interventions are carried out in a way that minimises delays and additional burdens for legitimate trade, while robustly ensuring compliance.