Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Not Addressed
Paragraph: 59
The readiness of Welsh and UK ports for trade with the EU after the transition...
Recommendation
The readiness of Welsh and UK ports for trade with the EU after the transition phase is a major undertaking. The UK Government needs to provide reassurances that digital and physical infrastructure will be up and running in time and that sufficient physical capacity at or near ports will be available before July 2021.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response discusses ongoing trade talks with the US and efforts to facilitate lamb exports, completely failing to address the recommendation regarding the readiness of Welsh and UK ports for trade with the EU.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
59
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
• From July 2021, infrastructure will be needed to meet the further requirements of full border controls on EU goods as set out in the Border Operating Model. In July 2020, the Government committed to spending £705 million on new border infrastructure to support ports in building extra capacity to meet the new control requirements where there is space to do so. This funding was provided for improved IT systems as well as for infrastructure at ports (through the £200 million Port Infrastructure Fund—PIF) and at Inland Border Facilities (£270 million) to support ports which do not have the space to build new infrastructure on site. • Holyhead, Pembroke and Fishguard have all been allocated funding from the PIF to deliver on-site infrastructure at the port. The UK Government is also working with the Welsh Government to deliver Inland Border Facilities in North and South Wales to accommodate necessary checks which cannot be accommodated on-site due to space constraints. • Timescales for inland facilities are challenging but the UK Government is working closely with the Welsh Government to speed up delivery, including regular discussions between Ministers. The provision of inland facilities for Holyhead is a shared responsibility between HMRC and the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government is responsible for facilities for South West Wales because it has devolved responsibility for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗