Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the potential economic effect in Northern Ireland of the imposition of border checks between that country and the Republic of Ireland in the event of a UK withdrawal from the EU.

Mr Ben Wallace

The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

The UK and Ireland are part of the EU Customs Union, which means that there are no customs controls on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Without this, goods being exported across the border could be subject to various forms of customs controls and their liability to duty determined according to complex Rules of Origin.

The absence of cross-border restrictions has both encouraged cooperation and increased trade over the last twenty years. Overall, around 60 per cent of Northern Ireland’s exports go to the EU, with 37 per cent going to Ireland alone. It is the Government’s view that if the UK left the EU these arrangements could be put at risk.