Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate the Government has made of the cost of maintaining the frictionless border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal; what meetings he has held in the last six months on the (i) hardware and (ii) software infrastructure required to maintain the frictionless border; and what estimate his Department has made of the (A) type and (B) quantities of equipment required to maintain the frictionless border.

The Government remains steadfast in its commitment to do everything in its power to preserve an open border in Northern Ireland. One of the many dividends of peace in Northern Ireland and the vast reduction of the security threat is the absence of a visible border. Under no circumstances will the Government put in place infrastructure, checks, or controls at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

As the Prime Minister recently wrote in his letter to Donald Tusk, we must also respect the aim to find flexible and creative solutions to the unique circumstances on the island of Ireland. That means that a range of alternative methods of managing any customs and regulatory differences continue to be developed, including through discussions with officials and stakeholders.

In March the Government set out the unilateral approach to checks, processes and tariffs in Northern Ireland it will take in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal. This avoids the need for checks at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.