Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 March (HL Deb col 906), how Eurotunnel and the expansion of services in the short straits between Southern England and France will directly improve the urgent supply of (1) food, and (2) other items, to Northern Ireland via the Cairnryan to Larne sea route.

My remarks referred to the Short Straits as an example of what is being done to provide sufficient capacity.

Operators are endeavouring to run additional services across different routes, including the short straits and Cairnryan to Larne route, to absorb the demand created across affected P&O routes. For example, Stena are already running an additional vessel on the Cairnryan to Larne route.

My Department is regularly engaging with all relevant operators, to maintain an up to date picture of demand management across sea routes into the UK and between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I am aware that officials in Defra are regularly engaging with a wide range of food suppliers, to monitor the supply of food to the UK, including Northern Ireland. Officials across Government are conducting similar engagement with suppliers of other goods.