PRESS RELEASE : Phillip Brett – “NI Protocol’s TSS costing £15k per hour” [November 2022]

The press release issued by the DUP on 11 November 2022.

DUP North Belfast MLA Phillip Brett has challenged the parties who called for the ‘rigorous implementation’ of the Protocol to justify the current spending of £375,000 per day on a Trader Support Service which would multiply many times over if the Protocol was fully implemented.

Mr Brett said,

“Treasury has confirmed to my colleague Gregory Campbell MP that the Trader Support Service which helps companies deal with NI Protocol generated paperwork, cost £63m for the first six months of this year. That’s £375k per day or £15k per hour.

Those parties, namely Sinn Fein, SDLP and Alliance, who called for the full implementation of the Protocol must accept that the ending of the grace periods and full implementation would mean this cost would multiply many times over. Indeed, our main transport companies in Northern Ireland have said the full implementation of the Protocol would lead to a collapse of our supply chain within 48 hours. They even warned that people ‘better have their freezer full’.

Rather than the rigorous implementation of the Protocol, we need the Protocol replaced with arrangements which restore Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K. internal market and which ensure our constitutional arrangements are respected.”