Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to enforce the 24-hour notification process for medium-risk goods under the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We will look to implement the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) in a way that recognises that new requirements are being placed on traders. As a result, we will introduce the BTOM in a way that will focus on improving trader compliance rather than enforcement. However, enforcement will be implemented where there is evidence of deliberate avoidance, fraud or biosecurity concerns.

From 30 April, our approach to compliance and enforcement will be carefully calibrated to balance an expectation that businesses will do their best to comply, with an understanding that there will be a period of adjustment to the new controls and the importance of minimising disruption to the flow of goods. We are working with the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Port Health Authorities to reach a clear and consistent understanding of how this calibrated approach will be implemented.

We will continue to pursue an approach of supporting businesses towards full compliance via guidance and warnings where possible and only escalating enforcement where necessary. For medium-risk animal products, all consignments will receive a documentary check from 30 April, and all medium-risk plant consignments that undergo a Border Control Post inspection will have a document check.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on the just-in-time models of (a) cold-chain haulage and (b) storage businesses.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has and will continue to engage stakeholders across the food supply chain in the design and implementation of the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), including the cold chain haulage and storage industries. We have listened carefully to this feedback, and designed the BTOM so that it minimises disruption and friction for traders to the greatest extent that is consistent with the imperative to protect UK biosecurity. We recognise that these controls do place a new requirement on such businesses, and that they will need time and support to adjust. As such the Animal and Plant Health Agency and Port Health/Local Authorities will adopt a carefully calibrated approach to enforcement that minimises the risk of disrupting trade flows, with an emphasis on educating and supporting businesses to comply. We are confident that Border Control Post infrastructure will have sufficient capacity and capability, including temperature-controlled facilities, to handle the volume of expected checks from 30 April. This will further ensure the impact on just-in-time models is minimised.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the process will be for importers to derogate the 24-hour notification process for medium-risk goods to four hours under the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The requirement for IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system) prenotifications to be submitted one working day ahead of an animal product consignment’s arrival in GB is an existing requirement for goods from the EU, excluding goods from the island of Ireland. The requirement will remain as is from 31 January for those EU goods it currently applies to, and will be introduced for EU and non-qualifying Northern Ireland goods from the island of Ireland. The way in which this requirement will be enforced will also remain unchanged from now in the January-April period. This aligns with our wider approach to implementation. From the point that controls at the border are introduced, importers will be able to contact Port Health Authorities (PHAs) to request a derogation to reduce the pre-notification window to a minimum of four hours. It may be possible to negotiate a global derogation for certain routes with the PHA, benefiting regular shipments on these paths. However, this would need to be based on agreement with the relevant PHA.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to assess the readiness of proposed border control post facilities in the context of the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are working closely with all border stakeholders to ensure readiness for the implementation of physical controls from 30 April. This includes participating in a cross-government programme of operational testing at Border Control Posts to assure infrastructure and processes for implementation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Border Target Operating Model, what guidance his Department has issued to veterinary professionals in Europe on the checks needed ahead of approving an export health certificate for a consignment before import to the UK.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is engaging stakeholders across all SPS sectors across the EU and with trading partners around the world to raise awareness of, and aid preparedness for, the Border Target Operating Model (TOM). Information is being shared through a series of live and virtual engagement events and communications detailing actions required. Online guidance is available on GOV.UK. The UK CVO has also written to the European Commission and EU counterparts providing updates on the BTOM implementation. Ultimately it is for the Competent Authority of the exporting country to advise their Official Veterinarians of the checks required, just as we do for Official Vets signing Export Health Certificates for consignments going from the UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which organisations will be responsible for billing for (a) the common user charge and (b) other charges arising from the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra consulted last year on the proposed Common User Charge (CUC) to recover operating costs at Government-run Border Control Posts (BCPs). It invited views on the principles, methodology and indicative rates for the CUC to determine fair and reasonable charges. Defra will use feedback to inform the final policy, which we expect to publish shortly. Port Health Authorities (PHAs) have charging mechanisms in place for covering the costs of checking sanitary and phytosanitary consignments, and the Government, in conjunction with devolved administrations, is working with PHAs to review fee levels and support the implementation of new checks of imports from the EU in early 2024.

Commercial BCP fees are a business decision for the operators of those sites.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Regulation of Buy-Now Pay-Later: consultation on draft legislation, how many responses were received; and of those received, how many and what proportion were from (a) buy-now-pay-later providers, (b) charities and advocacy groups, (c) other financial service providers who do not offer buy-now-pay-later products and (d) members of the public.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

A list of respondents will be included in the Government’s response to the consultation, which will be published in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11319 on Import Controls, whether the 17.4m additional safety and security declarations projected to be required is inclusive of the 4.5m consignments subject to sanitary and phytosanitary checks.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The forecast number of Safety & Security (S&S) declarations includes declarations for those goods which will also be subject to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements. The numbers referred to by the Hon Lady are not directly comparable, as a single S&S declaration may correspond with multiple SPS requirements for the same shipment.

All goods, including those not subject to SPS requirements, will be subject to occasional intelligence-led checks by Border Force. S&S declarations are an important part of Border Force’s frontier risk assessment processes. The data gathered informs intelligence-based checks to identify and seize illicit goods. Increased S&S data will help us better target illicit goods, and allow legitimate goods to continue to move freely.

If a consignment is not subject to SPS requirements, it will not be subject to the Common User Charge.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11319 on Import Controls, whether consignments requiring a Safety and Security declaration but not subject to SPS requirements will be required to pay the Common User Charge.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The forecast number of Safety & Security (S&S) declarations includes declarations for those goods which will also be subject to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements. The numbers referred to by the Hon Lady are not directly comparable, as a single S&S declaration may correspond with multiple SPS requirements for the same shipment.

All goods, including those not subject to SPS requirements, will be subject to occasional intelligence-led checks by Border Force. S&S declarations are an important part of Border Force’s frontier risk assessment processes. The data gathered informs intelligence-based checks to identify and seize illicit goods. Increased S&S data will help us better target illicit goods, and allow legitimate goods to continue to move freely.

If a consignment is not subject to SPS requirements, it will not be subject to the Common User Charge.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11319 on Import Controls, what checks will be carried out on consignments which require a safety and security declaration but which are not subject to sanitary and phytosanitary requirements.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The forecast number of Safety & Security (S&S) declarations includes declarations for those goods which will also be subject to sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements. The numbers referred to by the Hon Lady are not directly comparable, as a single S&S declaration may correspond with multiple SPS requirements for the same shipment.

All goods, including those not subject to SPS requirements, will be subject to occasional intelligence-led checks by Border Force. S&S declarations are an important part of Border Force’s frontier risk assessment processes. The data gathered informs intelligence-based checks to identify and seize illicit goods. Increased S&S data will help us better target illicit goods, and allow legitimate goods to continue to move freely.

If a consignment is not subject to SPS requirements, it will not be subject to the Common User Charge.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2024 to Question 14056 on Customs: Digital Technology, when he will publish the Government's response to the UK Single Trade Window: Consultation on Features to Inform Design and Legislation.

Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The Government published full details of the Border Target Operating Model in August 2023 and the third stage, which involves the single trade window, is scheduled for 30 October, with the arrangements being made by Statutory Instrument rather than primary legislation. The Cabinet Office is considering whether a response to the UK Single Trade Window: Consultation on Features to Inform Design and Legislation should be published and when that would be most useful to all concerned.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2024 to Question 18133 on Import Controls, what standards goods will be required to demonstrate they meet via an export health certificate in order to be eligible for import into the UK.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Specific requirements will vary by commodity, with details available on the Gov.uk pages for certification Import goods into the UK: step by step - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The BTOM will operate a sophisticated approach to risk categorisation, with the intensity of controls calibrated to the level of risk presented by each commodity.

For high-risk and medium-risk goods, we will retain health certification and BCP inspection, albeit with frequently lower inspection rates than under the EU model. Documentary-only checks will be performed remotely instead of all regulated goods having to present documents at a BCP.

For low-risk animal products as a matter of routine we will only require electronic pre-notification, which is already in place. Low-risk plant produce (fruit and vegetables with no known specific disease or pest risk associated) will be removed from import health control requirements altogether. There will no longer be any requirements for pre-notification, with enhanced inland monitoring and surveillance in place to ensure it is compliant with the UK's high food safety and standards and to keep track of any issues. We will simplify Export Health Certificates and make health certificates digital wherever possible.

For medium-risk goods, we will extend the well-established concept of trusted trader into the SPS sphere, by working with industry to pilot new trusted trader authorisations for SPS goods.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2024 to Question 17736 on Import Controls, whether the common user charge will include costs related to the processing of imports via the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Port Health Authorities (PHAs) have charging mechanisms in place for covering the costs of checking SPS consignments, and the Government, in conjunction with devolved administrations, is working with them to review fee levels and support the implementation of new checks of imports from the EU in early 2024.

Commercial BCP fees are a business decision for the operators of those sites.

The Common User Charge is to recover the costs of operating government-run BCP facilities in England. Defra has consulted on its proposed methodology and rates to inform charging levels. Defra has used feedback to inform the final policy and rates, which we expect to publish shortly.

PHAs or local authorities undertake checks on animal products and High-Risk Feed or Food Not of Animal Origin (HRFNAO) at BCP. APHA is the competent authority with responsibility for the inspections of plants and plant products at all BCPs and control points.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2024 to Question 17736 on Import Controls, if he will publish a list of all Border Control Posts where imports will (a) be subject to the Common User Charge and (b) subject to other charges.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Common User Charge for the recovery of BCP operating costs applies only to government-run BCPs in England. Commercial operators will independently set charges for their own BCP facilities.

Defra has consulted on its proposed methodology and rates to inform charging levels. Defra has used feedback to inform the final policy and rates, which we expect to publish shortly.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2024 to Question 14058 on Imports: Disease Control, when he will publish the Government response to the Common User Charge consultation.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has consulted on its proposed methodology and rates to inform charging levels and will publish an update on the Common User Charge shortly. This will include the Government response to the Common User Charge consultation.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2024 to Question 11320 on Import Controls: Disease Control, which categories of consignment will be required to pay the Common User Charge, by risk level.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has consulted on its proposed methodology and rates to inform charging levels and will publish an update on the Common User Charge shortly. This will include the Government response to the Common User Charge consultation. Further information on the policy and rates will be included in the upcoming publication.

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