Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of why the use of the inland border facilities in Kent was less than was predicted prior to the end of the Transition period with the European Union.

The Government has successfully delivered Inland Border Facilities (IBFs) to address the issue of some ports not having sufficient space to develop the infrastructure needed for customs control.

The IBF network has been designed to manage peak demand which is expected to be reached in 2022, following the end of staged customs control. The demand forecasts used for planning purposes are based on a reasonable worst-case scenario in order to ensure there is sufficient capacity at IBFs in 2021 and beyond.

There are a number of factors which affect demand at IBFs including the overall levels of trade and the number of traders choosing to delay declarations under staged customs controls.