Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what (a) guidance and (b) other information the Government has issued to businesses in Northern Ireland regarding requirements for (i) the labelling of goods with the details of the importer, (ii) the correct conformity assessment procedures for goods, (iii) the correct technical documentation from manufacturers after the end of the transition period.

On 7 August, the Government published guidance on gov.uk for businesses engaging with the new processes and arrangements that will be in place in Northern Ireland under the Protocol. This guidance sets out that the effect of the Protocol is to maintain the existing requirements for placing manufactured goods on the market in Northern Ireland, in line with relevant EU rules. It also explains the steps businesses will need to take to put these goods on the market in Northern Ireland. This includes information on labelling requirements, conformity assessment and technical documentation.

For goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, the Government has made a clear commitment to Northern Ireland’s unfettered access to the rest of the UK, and this is also reflected in the published guidance.

The Government has committed to providing extensive support and information to businesses in order to help them get ready in areas where there will be changes to the movement of goods and the actions that UK businesses may need to take. We will be publishing further detailed guidance for businesses on elements of the Protocol over the coming months; some of which remains subject to ongoing discussions with the EU. We are working hard to resolve outstanding issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol through the Joint Committee and will continue to approach these discussions in good faith.