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Northern Ireland\u2019s political parties have welcomed the plan for a system to ease processes around moving goods into the region from the rest of the UK post-Brexit, but warned that questions remain.<\/p>\nNorthern Ireland\u2019s political parties have welcomed the plan for a system to ease processes around moving goods into the region from the rest of the UK post-Brexit, but warned that questions remain.<\/p>\n
UK government minister Michael Gove visited a carpet factory in Co Armagh on Friday as the system to help firms deal with the paperwork around transporting goods after the UK leaves the EU were announced.<\/p>\n
The new Trader Support Service, costing \u00a3200 million (\u20ac221 million), is aimed at addressing concerns from businesses that red tape could disrupt the flow of goods from Great Britain.<\/p>\n
A further \u00a3155m will be spent on digital technology to streamline processes required by the new internal border created by the Northern Irish protocol in the Brexit deal.<\/p>\n
Earlier Mr Gove met with parties and business leaders at Hillsborough Castle.<\/p>\n
First Minister Arlene Foster described the meetings as constructive but said \u201cmany points\u201d still require clarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe welcomed the additional money made available to help ease trade between GB and NI because of the Protocol,\u201d the DUP leader said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are however, many points which still require clarity to enable business decisions to be made. Indeed, there is also a role for the EU to show some flexibility to resolve any remaining concerns and give certainty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in MP Chris Hazzard also welcomed the support, but pressed the UK government on \u201cmany vital questions left unanswered\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe announcement of this \u00a3200m support package is welcome news for those local businesses who are growing increasingly worried about the trading environment in the post-transition period in January 2021,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever it\u2019s clear that in the face of being unable to deliver upon the promise of \u2018unfettered access\u2019 and \u2018no additional burdens\u2019 the British Government are left with no choice but to pull a magic money rabbit out of the hat in an attempt to distract from the fact that their Brexit misadventure has created a mountain of red-tape and bureaucratic processes.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s announcement is not the long overdue border operating model that we have been promised, it is merely another attempt to create an IT system that will take care of the complex formalities in automating the customs process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ulster Unionist Party MLA John Stewart challenged Friday\u2019s announcement as a \u201cstark contrast from previous claims by the Prime Minister that Northern Ireland businesses could throw customs declarations in the bin\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo matter how the Government may seek to spin it, the reality is that they have allowed a regulatory border to be placed down the middle of the Irish Sea and they are now scrambling to try to undo the damage this will cause,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are just months away from the end of the transition period and still there are questions that do not have answers on how the Northern Ireland economy will be protected from the worst impacts of the misguided decisions that have been taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile SDLP MLA Matthew O\u2019Toole said the funding for the new trade support scheme \u201cfalls far short of what is needed\u201d.<\/p>\n
He repeated his party\u2019s call for the transition period to be extended.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe UK Government has also failed to offer any more detail on how it will ensure unfettered access to the GB market for NI businesses, or even which goods will qualify for unfettered access,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd ultimately, all of this disruption is a product of an ideological refusal to countenance extending the transition period in the middle of the biggest public health crisis in a century.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe best way to minimize the damage Brexit will inevitably cause is to extend the transition and avoid a crash out at the end of this year.\u201d<\/p>\n