Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made (1) in preparing for any increased traffic, and (2) in providing additional lorry parking capacity, in Kent in preparation for the impact of new trade agreements following the exit from the single market.

We are continuing to work at pace with the Kent Resilience Forum to revise traffic management contingency plans, to deal with the potential congestion at the end of the transition period. One such measure is Highways England’s Quick Movable Barrier project, which will be operational from December 2020. This flexible concrete barrier can be deployed on the M20 in Kent within 24 hours to form a safe contraflow, compared to the previous steel barrier which required a month of overnight closures to set up.

We can also?confirm?that the Department has purchased the?MOJO site in Ashford.?This site will form part of our contingency planning which aims to help ensure the free flow of freight and reduce the risk of disruption at the border at the end of the transition period. It was chosen due to its strategic location, with easy access to the M20, the primary corridor to and from key ports within the Dover Straits.