HMC officials, Brexit and Treasury Ministers to give evidence on post-Brexit customs arrangements to Lords EU Committee
On Thursday 19 July 2018 the House of Lords EU External Affairs Sub-Committee will be holding a double evidence session. The First and Second Permanent Secretaries of HMRC are on the first panel of witnesses, followed by Ministers from the Department for Exiting the European Union and HM Treasury on the second panel.
These evidence session, which are open to the public, are part of the Committee's Brexit: customs arrangements inquiry.
At 10:05am the Committee will hear from:
- Jon Thompson, First Permanent Secretary and Chief Executive, HM Revenue and Customs
- Jim Harra, Tax Assurance Commissioner, Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, HM Revenue and Customs.
At 11:15am the Committee will hear from:
- Robin Walker MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Exiting the European Union
- Mel Stride MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General, HM Treasury.
The questions the Committee is likely to ask include:
- How would the Facilitated Customs Arrangement (FCA), which was outlined in the Government's White Paper last week, remove the need for any physical customs infrastructure at the border?
- The White Paper mentions the need for the UK and the EU to “agree a new trusted trader scheme to allow firms to pay the correct tariff at the UK border without needing to engage with the repayment mechanism”. How could this work?
- The White Paper also refers to a “phased implementation” of the FCA. What timescale does the Government envisage?
- The FCA would enable the UK to negotiate its own free trade agreements by charging different tariff levels on goods, depending on their final destination. How would this work in practice?
- In evidence given to the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee Jon Thompson said that a no-deal Brexit would cost businesses around £20 billion a year. How much is the Facilitated Customs Arrangement likely to cost the Government and UK businesses?
- The Committee is concerned that little time is left until the October European Council, where the customs backstop and future customs arrangement will have to be agreed on. How can the Government ensure that agreement is reached in time?
- The Committee was recently told that a consignment of non-EU goods takes over an hour to process. How could this be reduced?
These public evidence sessions begin at 10.05am on Thursday 19 July 2018 in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.
