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Written Question
UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
Tuesday 12th December 2023

Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to deliver unfettered access for goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and to remove the Irish Sea border, custom, and sanitary and phytosanitary checks, under the Windsor Framework.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Following the agreement of the Windsor Framework, the Border Target Operating Model sets out that we will begin phasing in checks and controls for Irish goods and non-qualifying goods moving from the island of Ireland to Great Britian from 31 January 2024.

With this approach, the Government fully preserves its longstanding commitments to ensure Northern Ireland’s businesses have full unconditional and unfettered access to their most important market in Great Britain.


Written Question
Agricultural Products and Food: Northern Ireland
Monday 23rd October 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the geographical boundary at which Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and the associated EU acquis take effect so that food and agricultural products in Northern Ireland comply with that regulation.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

A range of regulations apply to goods in Northern Ireland: EU regulations only apply to the extent set out in the Windsor Framework, varying dependent on whether the goods were produced in Northern Ireland or how the goods were moved from Great Britain. Where goods are moved under the new, more facilitative green lane and are destined for Northern Ireland; they will face no certification requirements, reduced checks and can be produced to UK public health and consumer protection standards. Goods moved through the red lane, on the other hand, will face full EU Official Control requirements including needing to comply with all EU animal, plant and public health regulations. To allow access to the NI, GB and EU markets, Northern Irish food and agricultural products will be produced to EU standards.


Written Question
UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of the cost of border control posts her Department plans to erect to inspect goods coming from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have committed to providing unfettered access for Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods to the Great Britain market and have enshrined these protections in law. This means Qualifying Northern Ireland goods, except for a small subset such as those subject to international obligations, will face no new checks and controls. We made clear in the draft Border Target Operating Model that Irish goods will be subject to checks when moving directly from Ireland to Great Britain. The Government is rightly engaging with the Welsh and Scottish Governments to ensure appropriate infrastructure is in place on the west coast to support these movements.


Written Question
Import Controls: Northern Ireland
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what exemptions from inspections at control posts proposed in the draft Border Target Operating Model she plans for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain; and what information will be required from Northern Ireland firms to qualify for such exemptions.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK Government remains committed to ensuring unfettered access for Northern Ireland traders to the Great Britain market. These arrangements will be enshrined and further strengthened in domestic legislation, avoiding burdens for Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods on both direct Northern Ireland-Great Britain and indirect Northern Ireland-Ireland-Great Britain routes. Except for a small subset of goods such as those subject to international obligations, this means they will face no new checks and controls, as has been the case since January 2021. The draft Border Target Operating Model makes clear that Ireland/EU goods will face new checks and controls when moving from Irish ports directly to Great Britain.


Written Question
UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
Monday 12th June 2023

Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how may border posts her Department plans to erect to inspect movements of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We have committed to providing unfettered access for Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods to the Great Britain market and have enshrined these protections in law. This means Qualifying Northern Ireland goods, except for a small subset such as those subject to international obligations, will face no new checks and controls. We made clear in the draft Border Target Operating Model that Irish goods will be subject to checks when moving directly from Ireland to Great Britain. The Government is rightly engaging with the Welsh and Scottish Governments to ensure appropriate infrastructure is in place on the west coast to support these movements.


Written Question
Export Controls: Northern Ireland
Thursday 1st June 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to using the Export Control Act 2002 to filter unsuitable items crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland to prevent a border in the Irish Sea.

Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Export Control Act 2002 provides the legal basis for our export control legislation on military and certain dual-use goods. Military list items and certain dual-use items specified within the European Union (EU) Dual-use Regulation (“the Dual-use Regulation”), require an export licence for export from Northern Ireland to Ireland. Export licence applications for these items would be assessed against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which is statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State and laid before Parliament under section 9 of the Export Control Act 2002. We would not issue an export licence in response to an application where to do so would be inconsistent with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. Unless specified within Annex IV of the Dual-use Regulation, dual-use items exported from Northern Ireland to Ireland would not require a licence.

The Windsor Framework ensures the free flow of trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland through a new green lane, removing unacceptable customs processes. The only checks conducted will be risk-based to target smuggling or criminality in the green lane, highly-controlled goods, or any goods bound for the EU in the red lane.


Written Question
Pets: Northern Ireland
Thursday 4th May 2023

Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what interim arrangements will apply for the movement of pets between Great Britain and Northern Ireland until the Windsor Framework is implemented.

Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Windsor Framework ensures the smooth travel of pets between Northern Ireland and Great Britain without needless costs, health treatments or red tape. Pet owners do not need to take any immediate action because the current situation that we maintain unilaterally will continue. Further guidance on what pet owners will need to do will be provided in due course. We will consult and work with business over the coming months ahead of implementing any changes required by these arrangements.

Under the Windsor Framework there are no documentary requirements whatsoever for Northern Irish pets moving to Great Britain and back to Northern Ireland. Pet owners in Great Britain will be able to travel with their pets without costs, burdens or health treatments. For pet owners visiting Northern Ireland from Great Britain, the only requirement will be to confirm that the pet is microchipped and will not move into the EU.


Written Question
UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
Friday 24th March 2023

Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2023 to Question 155046 on UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland, how the transit procedure which will allow goods to travel from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland using the green lane will operate; whether goods arriving in the Republic of Ireland from Wales which are destined for Northern Ireland will be subject to the same degree of checks as those which go directly from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and which part of the Windsor Framework provides for that transit procedure.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

We have delivered a new Green Lane which means that goods staying in the UK will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties when they move into Northern Ireland. The Green Lane is open to all UK businesses where they import or sell goods that are not ultimately destined for the EU market. This will include goods travelling from Wales to Northern Ireland through the Republic of Ireland using the transit procedure, as the processes otherwise applied for goods imported into the Republic of Ireland are a matter for the Irish Government. Following EU exit, the UK successfully negotiated membership of the Common Transit Convention. This is already part of domestic UK law by the Customs Procedures (EU Exit) Regulations 2018. There is already guidance on the use of transit procedures on Gov.uk, and as we bring the new green lane on stream we will set out further guidance on how those arrangements operate.


Written Question
Renewable Energy: Northern Ireland
Tuesday 21st March 2023

Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that businesses in Northern Ireland are able to participate in future contracts for difference auctions during the suspension of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is only open to generators in Great Britain (GB) and aligned to the GB market. Consequently, Northern Irish generators are not eligible to participate in the CfD scheme. The Department for the Economy is running a consultation on Design Considerations for its own bespoke Renewables Support Scheme.


Written Question
UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland
Tuesday 21st March 2023

Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed Windsor Framework on the level of impact on businesses of the regulatory compliance required for the movement of (a) agricultural and (b) other goods from (i) Northern Ireland to Great Britain and (ii) Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Windsor Framework removes an extensive range of bureaucracy and checks that the old Protocol otherwise applied for internal UK trade. The green lane will mean that goods being sold in Northern Ireland will be freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties, using only ordinary commercial information rather than customs processes or complex certification requirements for agrifood. In contrast, trade moving into the EU will be subject to normal third country processes and requirements. We have also secured full unfettered access for Northern Irish firms to the whole UK market. This provides a fundamental change to smooth the flow of internal UK trade.