Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the potential implications of the UK leaving the Customs Union on changes to levels of traffic and usage at the port in Holyhead requiring additional infrastructure in and around that port.

There has been, and will continue to be, constructive engagement between the UK Government and the Welsh Government on the issue of EU Exit. On 30 October, the Prime Minister and I met with the First Minister, and last month the First Secretary of State and I also met with him.

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, 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.