Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Export Costs: Northern Ireland to Great Britain

Tuesday 15 September 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Sammy Wilson asked about discussions on potential additional costs for exporting goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain under the withdrawal agreement.
  • The Government stated they are actively engaging with businesses and providing necessary information and support.
  • Officials declined to comment on specific EU demands regarding tariffs on goods coming into Northern Ireland.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sammy Wilson DUP East Antrim
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

The question arises from the concern over potential new costs and administrative burdens that businesses in Northern Ireland may face when exporting goods to Great Britain under the withdrawal agreement.

Question

What discussions have officials from (a) his Department and (b) HMRC had with businesses in Northern Ireland on potential additional costs for exporting goods to Great Britain from Northern Ireland under the withdrawal agreement?

Answer from Jesse Norman

The Government have been actively engaging with businesses and fully committed to providing them with the information and support needed to prepare for the end of the transition period in Northern Ireland. As was set out in the Command Paper, the Government's position is that there should be no additional process, paperwork or restrictions on Northern Ireland goods arriving in the rest of the UK.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific discussions with businesses and HMRC were not detailed.

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Q2 Sammy Wilson DUP East Antrim
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

The MP raises concerns about additional tariffs and paperwork imposed by the EU on goods entering Northern Ireland, which affects cash flow and costs for businesses. This issue is related to the UK Internal Market Bill.

Question

While welcoming the provisions of the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill debated yesterday, they do not cover the issue that the EU is demanding tariffs on goods coming into Northern Ireland until proven that they have not left Northern Ireland and gone into the EU. Given the Government's commitment to keeping Northern Ireland in the UK customs union, will the Minister give a commitment to ensuring in the Finance Bill that the EU demand for tariffs will be removed?

Answer from Jesse Norman

These topics are currently very live matters of discussion between this country and the EU, and I am not going to comment on that. However, we are engaged with these issues across Departments and will support principles set out in the protocol as we move forward.

Not addressed: The specific commitment requested was not given.

How: These Topics Are Currently Very Live Matters Of Discussion Between This Country And The Eu, And I Am Not Going To Comment On That.

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