Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what sanctions they will apply to persons who breach customs regulations at border control posts in Northern Ireland after 1 January 2021.

The New Decade, New Approach agreement recognised the need to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol in a way that works for the restored Executive and Northern Ireland’s businesses. The Protocol text itself is explicit that its implementation “should impact as little as possible on the everyday life of communities”.

We are committed to implementing the Protocol in a manner that best serves the needs of the people and businesses in Northern Ireland. This includes continuing to tackle serious and organised crime, including in respect of breaches of applicable customs rules, from January 2021 as we are today.

We also note, as underlined in ‘The UK’s Approach to implementing the NI Protocol’, that we are committed to using the latest technology, risk and compliance techniques as part of our efforts. The Government will work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive and businesses on this.