Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
146. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which he continues to make alternative provisions in respect of the post-Brexit era in the event of no agreement and limited access to the UK landbridge for exporters and importers here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28442/20]
View answerRegardless of the outcome of the ongoing negotiations, the end of the transition will mean substantial and lasting change. The UK will be outside the EU’s Single Market and Customs Union from 1 January 2021. This means that any business that moves goods to, from or through Great Britain will be subject to a range of customs formalities, SPS checks and other regulatory requirements that do not apply today.
Ensuring that the UK landbridge remains an efficient and effective route to market for Irish traders is a priority of the Government's Brexit planning. When the transition period ends on 31 December 2020, operators will still be able to move goods via the landbridge but the way they use the landbridge will change. Each movement will involve new procedures and require a financial guarantee to be in place.
While the UK’s accession to the Common Transit Convention (CTC) is welcome and we continue to work positively with our EU partners on addressing challenges in EU ports for transit landbridge traffic, delays and blockages at UK ports for Irish operators using the landbridge is a very real and substantial risk, and outside of our control. The Government has pointed out for some time now including in our readiness plans in 2019 and 2020 that there will likely be delays at ports immediately after the end of the transition period, with Dover-Calais identified as a particular likely bottleneck. This is also the view of the UK Government which has written to traders in the UK and published its ‘Reasonable Worst Case Scenario’ modelling which envisages queues of up to 7,000 HGVs in Kent, in the vicinity of Dover Port and of a possible 60%-80% reduction in trade flows using the crossing. It is vital that all operators understand the risk of delays and the changes that will arise for importers and exports on 1 January and take steps to address them. These are outlined in detail in the Government's Brexit Readiness Action Plan published on 9 September where there is a specific chapter on trade in goods and using the landbridge.
By contrast, goods moving directly between Ireland and elsewhere in the EU will not be subject to any new procedures. The Government has been engaging extensively with the shipping sector to assess the capacity available on direct routes to continental ports and I am working closely with my colleague Eamonn Ryan, the Minister for Transport. The sector has indicated that sufficient capacity is available on direct routes and that the sector is capable of responding to any further increase in demand. I encourage engagement between traders, hauliers and ferry companies to align capacity with needs.
A number of new direct services have been launched in the past year and extra sailings are also planned on existing routes. Traders should now consider switching to direct route options where feasible.
