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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Section 31 Local Authority support for work at ports and borders grant.

On a quarterly basis, eligible local authorities respond to a call for bids for the Port Health Authority Transition Fund. Their submissions are assessed by a cross-Defra steering group before being approved and paid in accordance with Section 31, Local Government Act 2003. The Fund enabled local authorities to be ready to implement the planned Border Operating Model in 2022 and is now supporting their operational planning and readiness for the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.