Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, for this opportunity to speak about the impact of a 'no deal Brexit' on the transportation of goods and people and the substantial work the Welsh Government has been undertaking and co-ordinating to understand and mitigate the risk of disruption.

As we've heard a number of times this afternoon—and I make no apology for repeating it—we have long opposed the prospect of a 'no deal', and we call on the Prime Minister to take this off the table. A 'no deal' Brexit could cause severe disruption to the transport network and connected services within Wales. I've outlined our ambitious plans for the transport network many times in this Chamber, and I do not want to see them derailed by in-fighting within the Conservative Party and a 'no deal' by default. We want to avoid a 'no deal' Brexit and the negative effects that it will have on Welsh and international businesses, which contribute so much to our economy and the quality of life for everyone living in our country.

Deputy Presiding Officer, there has been substantial interest and concern expressed in this Chamber, in committee sessions and more widely in the media about the implications of a 'no deal' Brexit for our ports, and rightly so. Ports in Wales make a critical contribution to our economy, not least by providing jobs and added value to local communities. Any risk to their efficient operation poses a substantial risk for Wales as a whole. Container ports, such as Cardiff, Port Talbot and Newport, are already engaged with international goods movement and are less likely to experience significant disruption. Our ferry ports, however, are a very different story and are particularly vulnerable to the shocks that could arise following a 'no deal' Brexit.

Most of the risks relate to border arrangements, to customs and safety checks. These risks are of course for the UK Government to resolve. The UK Government has decided to make no additional checks on goods from EU countries in a 'no deal' scenario, albeit on a temporary basis. This might ease some of the short-term pressure, but we need a more robust, long-term solution. The requirement by the EU for Ireland to treat goods from the UK as a third country, including all the required checks, could cause knock-on delays at ferry ports. For Pembroke Dock and Fishguard, our analysis suggests delayed vehicles could be managed within the port. We are keeping, of course, this under constant review, in case extra contingency measures are needed. Holyhead would find it more difficult to absorb the effects of delays. We're working on solutions to manage traffic disruption from delays at the port, and I can today update Members about these plans. 

An assessment of the reasonable worst-case scenario for heavy goods vehicle delays has been prepared by the UK Government, and this applies to all ferry ports across the UK. This assessment is underpinned by a number of cross-Government and cross-departmental assumptions, such as the checks that might be imposed and what infrastructure could be put in place. The modelling indicates that it is likely that delayed traffic at Holyhead could be held within the confines of the port and any overflow on the A55 would be unlikely. However, the modelling is based on a range of common assumptions about which there remain a significant number of uncertainties and which are being constantly reviewed. We have therefore been developing contingency plans as part of the Holyhead port strategic consultation group, which was set up last year.

Potential sites on Anglesey have been identified and assessed, including the existing Roadking truck stop facility. My officials have met Roadking to discuss the use of this particular site. It is geographically well placed, there are no developmental issues and suitable infrastructure is already in place. We will now discuss terms with Roadking, but this is not the only option available to us. Parc Cybi is another option. This is a Welsh Government development site and has sufficient capacity for 40 HGVs. And there's a further fall-back option: the A55 could be used. Across Anglesey, roadworks are carried out with daytime lane closures and minimal disruption. Similar measures could be used, in the unlikely event that they were necessary, in order to manage freight delays at the port. A 'no deal' Brexit also poses more general risks to freight haulage, as falling back on the international permitting system could place severe restrictions on operators moving goods across the UK-EU border.