Debate contribution: Great Britain to Northern Ireland Trade

Debate contribution by Mr Gary Middleton on 16 September 2024.

MLA

Mr Gary Middleton

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

16 September 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Great Britain to Northern Ireland Trade

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4532617

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I also thank the motion's sponsors for tabling it. First, it is important that we acknowledge the importance of road hauliers to Northern Ireland. They are the backbone of the economy, maintaining our supply chains across the United Kingdom and further afield. Our domestic business community relies on them for goods, exports and the movement of materials, and our customer bases depend on them for imports to our shops and businesses. As my colleague Phillip Brett stated, purchases from GB by Northern Ireland businesses amounted to £11 billion in 2022, which was over double the amount procured from the entirety of the EU. That figure, coupled with the pivotal role that our hauliers play in the movement of goods, requires government to listen and act on the concerns raised. We know that the Road Haulage Association has already been involved in the hauliers' technical discussion group alongside HMRC, Treasury and the Trader Support Service in an effort to address some of the challenges. Outstanding areas of concern include the lack of HMRC guidance on new arrangements for the movement of parcels that are due to come into force at the end of the month; problems being encountered with the Trader Support Service; and a lack of clarity on some products entering Northern Ireland from GB. The business community often fears uncertainty most. That is something that we are all familiar with, so it is incumbent on us all to work to reduce uncertainty and address legitimate concerns, such as those outlined in the motion. The lack of clarity and guidance on future arrangements for business-to-business deliveries between GB and Northern Ireland is a concern, particularly for those bringing goods in for commercial processing. Indeed, I had a constituent contact me just last night about challenges their business is having, particularly in relation to Amazon. To bring goods into Northern Ireland, they were advised to use an address in GB and post them from there to Northern Ireland. That is a particular concern for that business. Equally, the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements continue to threaten the resilience of the supply chain of food, plant and animal products. There are continuing bans on some plants, which is unacceptable. There remain barriers to the movement of second-hand farm machinery, with unresolved problems continuing for those who attend trade shows and sales. The motion also identifies issues with the current turnover threshold for businesses moving goods from GB to Northern Ireland. Whilst the Windsor framework quadrupled the turnover threshold below which companies in processing can move goods in the UK internal market system, some larger businesses remain outside its scope and are therefore excluded. That has been exceptionally frustrating for larger businesses whose sole purpose remains within the United Kingdom, which is a grossly unfair situation in which the Government should intervene. It is clear that, while there has been an improving picture subsequent to the Windsor framework and the Government's 'Safeguarding the Union' Command Paper, difficulties that require resolution remain across many of those economic sectors. I trust that those who for so long championed the protocol will be willing to identify the ongoing areas of concern and work collectively and constructively to support the likes of the Road Haulage Association to see those concerns satisfactorily addressed. Whilst I note the commitments that the Secretary of State made on 2 September to take:

"all necessary steps to protect the UK internal market"

and make progress on the commitments laid out in the 'Safeguarding the Union' Command Paper, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Continuing barriers to trade within the UK are unacceptable and undermine our economic integrity. It will be for the new Labour Government to put action behind their commitments on those issues and to prove not only to the House but to the business community and our road hauliers that taking "all necessary steps" to protect our internal market will mean exactly that.

657 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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