Committee Publishes Report into the Withdrawal of DAERA and Local Authority Staff from Ports

12 Jul 2021 11:47 AM

The Assembly’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee recently (09 July 2021) published a report on its investigation into the decision made on 1 February 2021 by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (MEABC) to withdraw staff from undertaking checks on goods entering Larne and Belfast ports on a temporary basis. These checks had come into effect on 1 January 2021 as a result of the NI Protocol.

The Committee examined a wide range of oral and written evidence provided by key stakeholders and was informed that there were multiple factors that contributed to the decision to withdraw staff from undertaking Protocol-related checks.

The Committee found that:

The Committee also identified several issues relating to correspondence sent by the MEABC Chief Executive to the Cabinet Office on 30 January 2021 that outlined a range of Protocol-related challenges and cited paramilitary involvement in activities in the vicinity of ports.

The Committee has concerns regarding the quality and credibility of some of the evidence provided by MEABC, due to several contradictions and inconsistencies in the information provided.

The Committee has made a number of recommendations for consideration by relevant stakeholders.

Read the full report, that was agreed by the majority of Committee Members.

Committee Membership:

Mr Declan McAleer MLA (Chairperson)

Mr Philip McGuigan MLA (Deputy Chairperson)

Ms Clare Bailey MLA

Mrs Rosemary Barton MLA

Mr John Blair MLA

Mr Maurice Bradley MLA

Mr Harry Harvey MLA

Mr William Irwin MLA

Mr Patsy McGlone MLA

For media enquiries, please contact:

Sinead Murphy

Deputy Communications Officer

Northern Ireland Assembly

Tel: 029 90 52 5938

Mob:  07899 864368

Email: Sinead.murphy@niassembly.gov.uk