(Limerick East): asked the Minister for Finance if his attention has been drawn to the serious delays which are now occurring in the clearing of lorry transport by customs officers on duty on the Border with Northern Ireland; if he has any plans to alleviate this problem; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Customs Clearance Delays.
46.
I am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the volume of traffic over the land frontier with Northern Ireland at Dundalk Road Station (for imports) and Carrickcarnan Frontier Post (for exports) has increased to such an extent recently that greater delays in the clearance of goods through customs during peak times are being experienced than had hitherto been the case. However, available staff are deployed to the best possible advantage so as to keep delays to the minimum. If the Deputy supplies details of specific instances where serious delays occurred at Dundalk Road Station or Carrickcarnan Frontier Post these will be investigated.
I am also informed that the commissioners are not aware of any serious delays at other customs stations or posts on the land frontier.
(Limerick East): I am informed by somebody who experienced a serious delay that it is impossible to get clearance before 9 a.m. in the morning because there is nobody on duty conducting this type of work until 9 a.m.; later in the day, during the course of a mid-morning tea break there is nobody on duty, and again at lunch time there is nobody on duty. The journey now to the ports, for example, Larne, which would normally be a three hour run from north County Dublin is taking six hours as a result of delays. I cannot vouch for it because I have no experience of it but according to the information supplied to me it is the method of deployment of customs officers that is causing delays rather than the volume of traffic. I would like the Minister to comment on this.
There has been an increase in the volume of traffic and we are deploying the staff to the best possible advantage. But I understood that it was possible for people crossing any land frontier to make arrangements outside normal working hours. I accept fully what the Deputy says in relation to the individual case but if the details are passed on to the Revenue Commissioners we will have it examined and everything will be done to overcome these inordinate delays.
(Limerick East): Apart from any information I might pass on — and it is difficult to pass on information which is given on a confidential basis — could the Minister make a commitment to the House to initiate an inquiry into the procedures for export by lorry to Northern Ireland at the moment with a view to alleviating the difficulties that are being experienced at the moment by exporters from the volume of traffic, from the procedures that are being applied and also as a result of the security situation? There is a difficulty. I would like the Minister to make a commitment to have it examined.
In the context of the reply I admitted that there was a big increase in traffic. The specific incident mentioned by the Deputy seems to be a once-off occurrence. I have seen some references in the papers myself to delays there. We just have to ensure that we do not have any inordinate delays. Once we have the full facts regarding these problems they should be corrected by the Revenue Commissioners.
I would like at this stage to take the opportunity to pay our respects and thanks to the customs officials who are operating along the border not only in relation to this issue of imports and exports but in relation to the 48 hour travel restrictions.
(Limerick East): I concur with the Minister on that. The customs officers on the Border have a most difficult task but I would like the procedures under which they operate to be looked at because there is a significant added cost now being incurred by people who seek to export through the Northern ports.