Select committee: Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 18
5th Report: Brexit and trade: implications for Wales
Published 11 Dec 2020
Paragraph 80
Addressed to Wales Office
Welsh Affairs Committee Brexit and trade: implications for Wales All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
There is an unacceptable level of risk that inland facilities will not be ready in either North or South-west Wales for the full introduction of border checks and processes in July 2021. It has been clear since the beginning of the UK-EU trade talks, that regardless of a deal being reached or not, there would be new processes and requirements at the border, and it has also long been apparent that Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke lack the capacity to accommodate such checks on-site. If there is to be any chance of a North Wales and South-west Wales facility being operational before July 2021, then decisions on site locations must be confirmed before the end of December. As a precaution, the UK Government must publish its contingency plans for how checks will be conducted on goods arriving at Holyhead and Fishguard/Pembroke in the event that the inland facilities are not operational for July. The UK Government should also be clear whether its contingency plans include checks at port and detail the measures it would take to minimise the disruption such a step would entail.
From: Welsh Affairs Committee, 5th Report: Brexit and trade: implications for Wales (HC 176), paragraph 80, 11 December 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 February 2021 (deadline 11 February 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government responds to each of the Committee's 14 recommendations in turn, mostly by describing existing action, while stating that it does not plan to publish a Wales-specific impact assessment for trade agreements.
- On cooperation with the devolved administrations, it says the Ministerial Forum for Trade "will continue to facilitate conversations" on current and future free trade agreements and other trade matters.
- On trade impact assessments, it "does not plan to publish a Wales-specific impact assessment", but says impact assessments on future new free trade agreements "will also include" potential economic impacts on UK regions and nations.
- On border readiness, it says timescales for inland facilities are "challenging" and that it is working closely with the Welsh Government. Inland sites in Birmingham and Warrington will be available for hauliers using Welsh ports "until such time as" sites in North and South West Wales are complete.
- On food standards, it states that "Our high standards of food safety will not be watered down in the pursuit of a trade deal."