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Ulster red tape still a worry for hauliers

[ October 3, 2024   //   ]

The Road Haulage Association has called for call for processes to be simplified for just-in-time goods, moving between Great Britain and Ulster, including a new declaration category, in recommendations to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn published on 1 October.

It also wants an exemption or easement for businesses who guarantee non-EU destinations for consignments.

In addition, the Government should remove the requirement for the United Kingdom Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) and replace it with Simplified Frontier Declarations for at-risk goods. For all other goods, a simple declaration of what is on the lorry should suffice, similar to the existing system for parcel movements.

RHA wants all border declarations removed and replaced by a simplified business reporting model that uses either an Inward Processing Customs model or takes data from Intrastat declarations already being submitted. Consumer movements with a delivery address in NI should all be considered free of any customs obligations on behalf of sender or receiver. This would level the playing field again across the industry and remove the need for the Trader Support Service (TSS), RHA argues.

RHA says that it is concerned about the significant operational costs and administrative burdens and a lack of clarity on business-to-business deliveries.

Managing director Richard Smith said, in response to the Secretary of State’s recent comments that there will be minimal disruption with a combination of mitigations and operation of the Windsor Framework in good faith, that this had not  been the industry’s experience to date. There  are real concerns about the steps businesses must go through to send certain goods from GB to NI.

He added: “We are concerned that this will worsen with the changes due in March 2025,” and has asked the Northern Ireland Secretary for a meeting to discuss the issues.

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