Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his European Transition responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 3:11 pm on 27 January 2021.
Well, that is a top priority for us as a Government. These barriers, if you like, to trade and to transit weren't just foreseeable, they were foreseen. Now, what we want to make sure is that the speed and convenience of routes through Wales will start to attract hauliers back as soon as possible, and we are certainly pressing the UK Government, in the way that he suggests, to do everything possible to help traders navigate this new border and then to limit the economic impact that it's having. And the Minister for the economy, as you will have heard in earlier exchanges in the Chamber today, has written to the Secretary of State for Transport yesterday to highlight our concerns most recently. Obviously, we're particularly worried about the fact that those routes are costlier and take longer, and that tells us, of course, that the land bridge remains the best option, effectively. What we want to do is make sure that we are working with other Governments to persuade the hauliers of that, and that involves UK Government doing everything it can to minimise the practical implications of those checks and so on at the border.