Last Updated on 10/08/2020 by Millie York
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis,
announce a major £650m package of investment.
On a visit to Northern Ireland today (Friday 7 August), Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, and the Secretary
of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, will announce a major £650m package of investment to help traders in Northern
Ireland, and support peace, prosperity and reconciliation projects on the island of Ireland.
At the centre of this package is a new, free-to-use Trader Support Service (TSS) – an end-to-end support service to deal with
import and safety and security declarations on behalf of traders.
The new service will be available to businesses bringing in goods from Great Britain or the rest of the world, providing
guidance as well as dealing with their requirements for moving goods into Northern Ireland.
A procurement exercise for the service has now been launched. We have committed £50m of funding for the establishment
and first phase of the service, with the full contract to be worth up to £200m. Businesses in Northern Ireland can sign up for
further information about the scheme on GOV.UK from today, before it becomes operational in September.
The service is outlined as part of the publication of new guidance on the Northern Ireland Protocol for businesses moving
goods into and from Northern Ireland. The new online pages have been added to gov.uk/transition and will be updated as
implementation work and UK-EU discussions proceed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee.
This provides further clarity to businesses following the publication of the Government’s Command Paper in May, with
additional details to be outlined as work proceeds in the coming months to support preparations for the end of the transition
period.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Secretary of State also confirmed £300m of funding to the PEACE Plus
programme to support peace and reconciliation across the island of Ireland.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, said:
Today’s £650 million investment underlines our absolute commitment to the people and businesses of Northern Ireland as
we move towards the end of the transition period.Our new free-to-use Trader Support Service will provide vital support and guidance to traders, while our £300 million
investment in reconciliation projects will help to preserve the huge gains from the peace process and the Belfast
(Good Friday) Agreement.As part of our ongoing engagement with Northern Ireland businesses and the Executive, we are also publishing further
guidance for businesses on the operation of the Protocol.As we continue to engage with businesses and our discussions with the EU proceed, we will update these resources to
ensure that traders are ready for the end of the transition period.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Brandon Lewis, said:
Businesses have always been at the heart of our preparations for the end of the transition period. This new Trader Support
Service backed by funding of up to £200m reinforces this approach – it is a unique service that will ensure that businesses
of all sizes can have import processes dealt with on their behalf, at no cost.We recognise the importance of clarity and certainty for businesses which is why, as our discussions with the EU continue,
the Business Engagement Forum will remain a vital forum to bring together the UK Government and the NI Executive with
businesses across NI and their representatives to make sure they have the information they need to support their preparations.We also recognise that the Protocol is about more than maintaining the critical economic links that exist across our
United Kingdom, so I am proud that we have committed to provide £300 million to the PEACE Plus programme, which
does such important work across the island of Ireland to promote peace and reconciliation.
Published: 7th August 2020
Source: GOV UK, Cabinet Office, Northern Ireland Office, The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP & The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP
