Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Mansion House speech of 20 June 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) types and (b) cost of any new technology that needs to be deployed for customs border arrangements after the UK leaves the EU.

As we look to build our future customs relationship with the EU and the rest of the world, we start from a strong position. As a large trading nation, we possess a world-class customs system which handles imports and exports from all over the world, and not just the EU.

The government is seeking a mutually beneficial customs agreement and is committed to securing the most frictionless trading relationship possible.As part of this, HM Treasury and HMRC are giving due consideration to the implementation requirements of any options for the UK’s future customs arrangements. This includes the costs associated with updating IT systems to ensure we have a fully functioning customs regime following our exit from the EU.

The UK’s Customs Authority already works hard to ensure that trade is as fast and frictionless as possible and was ranked 5th globally in the World Bank’s 2016 Logistics Performance Index on Customs.