Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his European transition responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:44 pm on 11 November 2020.
Well, this is a very important question, if I may say so, and the risk of diverting trade is one that we are very concerned about as a Government. There are two major questions that we're still waiting for clarity on, stemming partly from the activity on the protocol in Northern Ireland. The first question is on goods from Northern Ireland—they can go to England and Scotland directly, without any checks. But if they come through the Republic of Ireland, they will be checked in Welsh ports. So, there is a risk there in terms of diversion. And also, on goods from the Republic of Ireland to Wales, there will be checks there, but if they go through Northern Ireland, it's likely that fewer checks will be undertaken. So, those two questions do suggest that the diversion risk is a very real one. We are still awaiting clarity and an impact assessment on that from the UK Government, and a committee is working on the impact on trade at present. We're still waiting for the results of that work.