Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Border Target Operating Model

Thursday 29 February 2024 · 3 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

  • Ministerial questions focused on the Border Target Operating Model.
  • Questions raised concerns about additional costs and inflationary impacts on food bills.
  • Government emphasized the necessity of import controls to protect public health and food supply chain.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Daniel Zeichner Lab Cambridge
Economy Business & Trade
Context

Businesses are concerned about potential delays and additional costs due to new import controls. The Food and Drink Federation estimates an extra £250 million a year in costs.

Question

I challenge him: is he really saying there will be no extra costs for our hard-pressed constituents as a result of all this extra bureaucracy?

Answer from Steven Baker

We are not saying that, but I would say to the hon. Member that appropriate import controls are fundamental to ensure that we can protect the UK's food supply chain from biosecurity risks. Inflationary impacts on food for consumers will be at most less than 0.2 percentage points over a three-year period.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the question of whether there would be additional costs to constituents directly.

How: Refused To Acknowledge Specific Cost Impacts

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Q2 Nia Griffith Lab Llanelli
Immigration Economy Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The Government's own projections indicate a £330 million yearly cost for UK businesses due to the border scheme, with additional checks starting in April. Previous port scenes were chaotic.

Question

What assessment has the Minister made of the full inflationary impact of these measures on UK food bills and what preparations are in place to prevent chaotic scenes at ports?

Answer from Steven Baker

I hope to protect the people of Wycombe and the whole United Kingdom from unsafe pork and chicken. An outbreak of African swine fever would be a fundamental threat to our pig industry. The cost of foot and mouth in 2001 was £12.8 billion, at 2022 prices.

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the inflationary impact or port preparations directly.

How: Changed Subject To Disease Outbreaks And Cost Estimates

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Q3 Kirsty Blackman SNP Aberdeen North
Immigration Business & Trade
Context

There is concern over additional costs and red tape for small businesses as a result of new import controls.

Question

Have the Government made any assessment of the additional cost to SMEs, and how many businesses will go under as a result?

Answer from Steven Baker

We are not expecting businesses to go under. We need to protect our borders from public health risks, but we will work carefully with stakeholders.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the specific assessment of costs to SMEs or business closures directly.

How: Refused To Acknowledge Specific Cost Impacts

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