In the House of Commons, James called for improvements to help King's Lynn firms exporting goods into Europe.
During Cabinet Office questions, James raised concerns with the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, over issues businesses in King's Lynn are facing when exporting goods into Europe.
James commented that exporting firms Guy-Raymond Engineering and Captain Fawcett have raised concerns with him of having to wait up to 16 hours for final HMRC transit documentation, delays in customs clearances in EU member states including France due to different interpretation of the rules, and issues with courier firms requiring different information for declarations for parcels.
James urged the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to take up these concerns with courier firms, HMRC, and Europe to bring greater consistency so that goods can continue to flow to customers.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said that goods are flowing freely with levels of freight around what we would expect for this time of year but the government is also working closely with businesses that are facing challenges.
He agreed that in order to have seamless flow of trade each element in that chain needs to work as effectively as possible. He assured James that the government will continue to work with courier companies and member states on operational issues to ensure a smooth flow of trade and a consistent approach towards exports. In addition, HMRC is looking at easements and facilitations.
Text of the question and response:
James Wild MP: "Two exporters in Kings Lynn, Guy Raymond Engineering and Captain Fawcett, a gentleman’s grooming firm, have raised concerns about waiting up to 16 hours for HMRC transit documentation, delays in customs clearance in France and other countries as they interpret the rules differently, and each courier firm demanding different informational declarations. This is delaying the delivery of their products, so will my right hon. Friend take up these issues with courier firms, HMRC and our EU partners so that goods can continue to flow to customers?"
Rt Hon Michael Gove MP: "My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that in order to ensure that we have a seamless flow of trade, each individual element in that chain needs to be working as effectively as possible, so we are working with courier companies to ensure that we can smooth any difficulties, HMRC is looking at easements and facilitations, and of course we are talking to our EU friends and neighbours to ensure that there is a consistent approach."
