Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Trade Barriers

Thursday 25 January 2024 · 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government are committed to breaking down barriers to trade through their free trade agreements programme.
  • The border target operating model was announced in August last year to simplify border processes for imports and exports.
  • The Government have consulted widely on the border target operating model, including running webinars and distributing leaflets.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Daniel Zeichner Lab Cambridge
Business & Trade
Context

The question stems from concerns about the effectiveness and implementation of recent government initiatives aimed at easing trade barriers, particularly focusing on border checks and processes.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of the principal barriers to trade for importers?

Answer from Greg Hands

The Government are committed to breaking down barriers to trade through our ambitious programme of free trade agreements. In August last year, the Government announced the border target operating model, which will simplify border processes for both imports and exports. These changes, based on smarter use of data and technology, will put in place new security and biosecurity controls while ensuring they are as simple as possible for businesses to comply with.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked for a recent assessment but the response did not provide any specific details or statistics about an actual evaluation of barriers faced by importers. It focused more on describing the programme's intentions rather than providing concrete analysis or data.

How: We Are Committed To Breaking Down Barriers

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Q2 Daniel Zeichner Lab Cambridge
Immigration Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Concerns have been raised about upcoming border checks affecting the importation of goods, specifically mentioning delays in importing plant and animal products. There is particular worry over potential issues impacting Valentine's Day supplies.

Question

The five-times-delayed border checks will come into effect very soon, but those dealing with plant and animal health products are seriously worried about potential delays. Indeed, the chair of the Horticultural Trades Association has pointed out that the process of importing a petunia from the Netherlands has already increased from 19 to 59 steps, and he warns that the 'new border is a disaster waiting to happen'. What is the Minister doing to ensure that we will have a plentiful supply of imported red roses for Valentine's day?

Answer from Greg Hands

We have consulted very widely on the border target operating model. We have put in a lot of time and effort, we have done a lot of consultation, we have been running webinars and putting out leaflets to make sure that businesses are aware, and the introduction of the model will of course be staged.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question asked for specific actions to address delays in importing plant and animal products but the response focused on general efforts towards awareness and consultation rather than concrete steps taken or results expected.

How: We Have Consulted Very Widely, Putting Out Leaflets

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