Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether changes have been made to the Border Target Operation Model since 5 July 2024; and what his latest estimate is of the (a) timetable and (b) budget for the introduction of related controls.

Implementation of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is ongoing. On 7 October HMRC announced that the waiver on Safety and Security declarations for EU imports would be extended until 31 January 2025. HMRC readiness activity is now underway. On 8 October my noble friend Baroness Hayman of Ullock laid legislation to extend the Transitional Staging Period until July 2025 for the implementation of import checks and controls on certain sanitary and phytosanitary goods entering Great Britain from certain countries.

There is no specific budget allocated to BTOM. The implementation and updates are the responsibility for each Department and where appropriate for the Devolved Governments.