Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate HMRC has made of the number of traders that will make customs declarations for the first time in Northern Ireland as a result of the Northern Ireland protocol.

Declaration volumes will depend on how businesses choose to operate, and HMRC are engaging with industry to understand their operating models.

For traders importing into Northern Ireland the Government has announced a major package of investment to help traders engaging in new processes under the Protocol. At the centre of this package is a new, free-to-use Trader Support Service (TSS) - an end-to-end support service which will educate traders on what the Protocol means for them and complete import and safety and security declarations on their behalf.

The TSS will be backed by funding of up to £200m, enabling businesses of all sizes who move goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland or import goods into Northern Ireland from the Rest of the World to draw on the support it provides.

The Government has been actively engaging with businesses and has committed to giving businesses the information and support needed to be ready to make changes at the end of the transition period.