Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment his Department has made of the readiness of Welsh ports to facilitate any added procedural processes in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

Since the vote to leave the EU I, as well as a number of ministerial colleagues, have visited ports in Wales to discuss a number of issues, including their operational readiness for our leaving the European Union.

The Government is committed to ensuring that withdrawal from the EU is a successful and smooth process for all parts of the UK, and we are conscious that a significant proportion of the traffic at some ports is not currently subject to customs controls. We want to ensure that traffic continues to flow freely at all UK ports and airports, including Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock, and we will seek to ensure that customs arrangements and mechanisms are as frictionless as possible, and that trade fluidity is maintained. Officials in the Wales Office and colleagues across Government are working with port operators and other stakeholders in Wales to support the smooth and orderly implementation of these new arrangements.