Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of potential cost to the public purse of staffing border control posts as a result of the Official Controls (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A business case for the construction of SPS inspection facilities in Northern Ireland will be prepared. I will provide an update to the House in due course.
The latest information available as to costs borne by DAERA is set out in my answer to the Rt Hon member for Lagan Valley of 28 November to PQ 92116.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many border posts her Department plans to erect in Northern Ireland as a result of the Official Controls (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
My officials have commenced work to assess how Defra will exercise the powers contained in the Official Controls (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2023. My officials have commenced assessment and will provide an update to the House in due course.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the damage caused to marine life as a result of the detonation of abandoned unexploded munitions on the sea floor.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for licensing marine activities in the seas around England, including the removal of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) from the seabed. In determining any application for a marine licence, the MMO considers all relevant matters including the need to protect the marine environment. This involves assessing any potential impacts on marine life under an environmental assessment. Such assessments are made on the specifics of each case and involve consultation with the MMO’s primary advisors, including Natural England.
In the last five years, the MMO has received, assessed and issued nine marine licences involving the removal of UXOs from the seabed.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many unexploded munitions on the seafloor have been disposed of by detonation in each of the last five years.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for licensing marine activities in the seas around England, including the removal of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) from the seabed. In determining any application for a marine licence, the MMO considers all relevant matters including the need to protect the marine environment. This involves assessing any potential impacts on marine life under an environmental assessment. Such assessments are made on the specifics of each case and involve consultation with the MMO’s primary advisors, including Natural England.
In the last five years, the MMO has received, assessed and issued nine marine licences involving the removal of UXOs from the seabed.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the arrangements for importing plants into Northern Ireland from Great Britain from 1 January 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra and DAERA are working together to ensure that both trade and the movement of goods will continue at the end of the Transition Period. Outcomes from this work, including the process by which controls are conducted and their frequency (including the level of physical checks required), are being discussed with the EU in the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee. Discussions are being taken forward in the context of the provision in the Protocol that both parties must use their “best endeavours” to avoid controls at Northern Ireland ports. Defra and DAERA continue to work with industry, traders, representative bodies and local authorities to ensure they are engaged, supported and properly prepared to continue trading from January 2021. This will include the publication of Q&As on the DAERA website that will be updated to reflect ongoing discussions and new arrangements.
EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary law will apply to Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Protocol, upholding the longstanding status of the island of Ireland as a single epidemiological unit. This means there will be no change to the import arrangements for plants moving from the EU to Northern Ireland after the end of the Transition Period.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the arrangements for importing plants from the EU into Northern Ireland after 1 January 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra and DAERA are working together to ensure that both trade and the movement of goods will continue at the end of the Transition Period. Outcomes from this work, including the process by which controls are conducted and their frequency (including the level of physical checks required), are being discussed with the EU in the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee. Discussions are being taken forward in the context of the provision in the Protocol that both parties must use their “best endeavours” to avoid controls at Northern Ireland ports. Defra and DAERA continue to work with industry, traders, representative bodies and local authorities to ensure they are engaged, supported and properly prepared to continue trading from January 2021. This will include the publication of Q&As on the DAERA website that will be updated to reflect ongoing discussions and new arrangements.
EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary law will apply to Northern Ireland under the Northern Ireland Protocol, upholding the longstanding status of the island of Ireland as a single epidemiological unit. This means there will be no change to the import arrangements for plants moving from the EU to Northern Ireland after the end of the Transition Period.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has submitted any proposals on border control posts at Northern Ireland ports to the EU Commission.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK submitted applications to the European Commission on 30 June for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland. These are for the purposes of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures at Larne and Foyle ports, and for existing SPS inspection posts to be expanded at Belfast and Warrenpoint ports. These applications fulfil our obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the EU commission on border control posts in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Command paper The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol (CP226) acknowledged the particular requirements under the Protocol on agrifood movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It also said that the Government would make proposals to minimise requirements on agrifood movements.
The UK’s applications to the European Commission for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland reflect those proposals. We are engaging with the Commission on both. The Government has confirmed to the Northern Ireland Executive in principle it will fund the costs of implementing agrifood checks, subject to business case approval.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assumptions his Department has made on the level of checks required at border control posts at Northern Ireland ports by his Department in order to comply with the Northern Ireland protocol of the Withdrawal Agreement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Command paper The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol (CP226) acknowledged the particular requirements under the Protocol on agrifood movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It also said that the Government would make proposals to minimise requirements on agrifood movements.
The UK’s applications to the European Commission for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland reflect those proposals. We are engaging with the Commission on both. The Government has confirmed to the Northern Ireland Executive in principle it will fund the costs of implementing agrifood checks, subject to business case approval.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department of the provision of land and buildings for border control posts at Northern Ireland ports after the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Command paper The UK’s Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol (CP226) acknowledged the particular requirements under the Protocol on agrifood movements from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. It also said that the Government would make proposals to minimise requirements on agrifood movements.
The UK’s applications to the European Commission for approval of facilities to conduct checks on agrifood goods at points of entry to Northern Ireland reflect those proposals. We are engaging with the Commission on both. The Government has confirmed to the Northern Ireland Executive in principle it will fund the costs of implementing agrifood checks, subject to business case approval.