Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he will take with his counterparts in the EU to resolve the backlog of road freight at Dover.

Traffic flows and any congestion build up at the Short Straits are monitored 24/7 by officials on both sides of the English Channel, and the appropriate escalation routes are already in place, and well tested to mitigate the risk of delays at the border. The reasons why the Dover Traffic Assessment Project (TAP) has been activated recently are understood, and we are confident that new customs processes introduced from 1 January were not the cause of queues.

Officials continue to monitor the situation closely and are engaging with industry groups, Port of Dover and local stakeholders in Kent.