7. What is the Welsh Government's assessment of the impact of a customs or regulatory border in the Irish Sea? OAQ52750

Our assessment is set out in 'Securing Wales’ Future'. 

First Minister, you spoke eloquently last week about the importance of Northern Ireland and its peace process for Brexit. Doesn't the European Commission proposing a border of any sort in the Irish sea act as a red rag to a bull for the unionist community in Northern Ireland? And shouldn't it instead apply its technical work for de-dramatising that proposed border to agreeing a free trade deal for the UK as a whole?

Well, I think the answer is to have a deal that works for both sides. I've said that many, many times, and the Member will know my view as to what that would look like. I think it's right to say that the suggestion of any kind of apparent political border between the island of Ireland and the island of Great Britain is anathema to the unionist parties, and it's something that we've seen, of course. There are occasions, of course, where there's a great deal of cross-border co-operation. When it comes to animal health, Ireland is one phytosanitary unit; Northern Ireland is in effect not in the UK as far as that's concerned, and if you go to Northern Ireland you are asked whether you're carrying food products. That makes sense from an animal health perspective. But, no, I don't think that's workable. It would be very difficult for a UK Government to agree to that. The unionist parties would not agree to it. What is the answer, then? Well, as I've said many, many times before: stay in the customs union; the whole thing's resolved then.

Speaking on Channel 4 News over the past few days, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, Simon Coveney, said that it was ridiculous to argue that one could avoid a hard border if there is a 'no deal' Brexit. He said that 1,077 additional customs officials and veterinary inspectors and security officers would need to be employed in airports and ports to deal with trade east to west. Isn't it inevitable in such circumstances that huge damage will be done to trade through the port of Holyhead in my constituency? Doesn't that demonstrate how irresponsible the supporters of a hard Brexit are within the Conservative Party and how irresponsible Labour under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn has been in not having insisted from the outset that there would have to be membership of the single market and the customs union?

First, of course, nobody argues that there should be any kind of hard border between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom—nobody's saying that they wish to see that. But of course the risk is that that might happen without any kind of deal. In the days pre the single market, there were checks at Holyhead. If I remember rightly, not everybody was checked, but there weren't any kind of passport checks at all. But there is a risk in this, of course, because, as I said before, if it looks as if it’s easier to get through the Northern Ireland ports rather than the Welsh ports, then, of course, trade will be impacted because of that, and it will have a negative impact on the Welsh ports’ trade. So, once again, what is the answer? Well, the answer is to remain within the customs union and to keep access to the single market. There is no need to remain in the European Union in order to have those.