Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on border infrastructure in Northern Ireland in the event of the UK leaving the transition period without a deal.

The Government remains optimistic and is working hard to reach an agreement with the EU on our future relationship. That is why we have agreed to an intensified talks process throughout July.

The Ireland and Northern Ireland Protocol will be delivered by the end of the Transition Period. There will be no new physical customs infrastructure in Northern Ireland and we see no need to build any.

We will be making the necessary adjustments to existing entry points for agrifood goods to provide for proportionate additional controls, including some checks to help movements of live animals and agri-food from Great Britain into Northern Ireland. This is in order to respect the pre-existing status of the island of Ireland as a single epidemiological unit. We will also work closely with the Northern Ireland Executive, and with the EU in the Joint Committee, to seek to simplify and minimise any requirements.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is working closely with colleagues across Cabinet and with minsters from the Northern Ireland Executive in support of this, taking account of the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland.