Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

116. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his Department has drafted a contingency plan to protect road-based imports and exports should major disruption occur on the landbridge in the UK due to Brexit; if so, if the contingency plans will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27417/20]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

When the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December, the UK will no longer apply the rules of the Single Market and Customs Union. This means that any business, regardless of size, that moves goods from, to or through Great Britain will be subject to a range of new customs formalities and other regulatory requirements.

The Government’s Brexit Readiness Action Plan, published on 9 September, sets out the steps that Government is taking and the actions citizens and businesses must take to prepare for this eventuality.

Section 2.2 of the Action Plan provides specific advice for operators in respect of the Landbridge. This includes the need for traders and hauliers to understand the new procedures applying to goods moving across Great Britain under the Common Transit Convention (CTC). In addition to new paperwork requirements, operators will also have to have a financial guarantee in place to cover potential customs duties and other taxes at risk during the movement.  Operators using the UK landbridge should also familiarise themselves with the provisions of the UK's Border Operating Model.

The Government has undertaken substantial engagements at political and official level to facilitate transit movements in EU ports. We have also invested in the infrastructure and systems required for additional checks and controls on trade with the UK, in both directions, at Dublin Port and Rosslare Europort, as well as at Dublin Airport. Provision has also been made to facilitate the deployment of around 1,000 staff to ensure compliance with customs, sanitary and phytosanitary, and food safety regulations.  Our approach to this work is driven by the twin objectives of ensuring trade can flow through our ports and airports to the greatest extent possible while maintaining food safety and public health and Ireland’s obligations to the Single Market.

While the Government continues to work with our EU partners to facilitate the movement of goods through EU ports, there is little the Government can do to address the severe delays anticipated at UK ports, with Dover-Calais identified as a particular likely bottleneck.  It is important that operators using the landbridge take these delays into account.

By contrast, no new procedures will apply to goods that move directly between Ireland and other EU Member States.  In the Government’s engagement with shipping companies, they have indicated that sufficient capacity exists on direct shipping routes and that the market can respond to increased demand for direct services as a consequence of Brexit. Traders currently moving goods via the UK landbridge should consider switching to direct route options, where feasible.

So far this year, we have already seen a number of new direct services commenced from Irish ports to continental ports including Cork - Zeebrugge, Dublin - Santander, Waterford - Rotterdam, Rosslare - Bilbao and Rosslare - Roscoff.  Extra sailings are also planned in 2021, including on the Rosslare - Cherbourg and Cork - Roscoff routes.

The Government continues to engage with the shipping companies  and will keep the situation under review.  I would encourage all traders, operators and hauliers to read our Readiness Action Plan which sets out concrete actions  that should take to prepare for the substantial and enduring changes that will arise on 1 January, 2021 regardless of the outcome of the EU-UK Future Relationship negotiations.