Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) the Humber Ports and (b) all other ports will have adequate customs infrastructure in place by the end of the transition period.

HMRC are working closely across Government and with ports to understand and implement infrastructure changes in line with the support announced by the Government.

Border controls for EU goods imported into Great Britain will be introduced at the end of the Transition Period in stages (1 January and 1 July 2021). This flexible and pragmatic approach will give industry extra time to make necessary arrangements.

The Government has committed to supporting ports and airports to put in place new or expanded border facilities in Great Britain for carrying out required checks, as well as to providing targeted support to ports to build new infrastructure.

Given the scale of infrastructure required and where there is a lack of space in ports, the Government is aiming to provide inland sites at strategic locations where these checks and other activities will take place.

The Government is already consulting with ports on what infrastructure will be required and to inform decisions on where inland sites should be provided. In preparation, a number of potential sites have been identified at strategic locations across the UK. These have been prioritised where there are shared HMG requirements in specific locations.