Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the National Audit Report, The UK border: preparedness for EU exit update, published in February 2019, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of HMRC's preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

EU Exit preparations are HMRC’s absolute top priority. The Government has ensured that HMRC are funded to successfully deliver their EU Exit commitments, and has provided HMRC with over £1 billion from 2017/18 to 2020/21.

By 12 April HMRC had put in place legislation, guidance, systems, new border infrastructure and over 5,000 trained staff, to ensure that the UK would continue to have a functioning tax and customs system. They held hundreds of meetings with industry representatives and communicated with hundreds of thousands of businesses to encourage them to prepare, and have dynamically adjusted their plans to respond the state of business readiness.

HMRC have thorough plans for an October exit, with or without a deal, including a communications campaign to encourage and assist businesses to get ready