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@hayward_katy @Kilsally @HansMaessen @CapacityNow UKBF has an operating mandate agreed with Ministers which sets out what checks are made at the U.K. Border. Some are electronic some are hands on. UKBF does people and goods checks but due to CTA and SM not in Ireland. Tech can go a long way but can’t fix this alone 1/
@hayward_katy @Kilsally @HansMaessen @CapacityNow We need to understand what needs to be checked before we can deploy tech. That depends upon what the Customs partnership will look like and what regulatory alignment is agreed between the authorities either side of the border. /2
@hayward_katy @Kilsally @HansMaessen @CapacityNow We have bilateral agreements with neighbours such as the CTA with Ireland and Sangatte / Sandhurst with France. These inform what checks are done, where and how. And what checks can be done by one country on behalf of the other. 3
@hayward_katy @Kilsally @HansMaessen @CapacityNow So the key is in the protocol. Tech is a tool that follows that. We have good systems in place (as does the EU) for electronic checks - but without some clarity about the regulatory framework on either side it is hard to say how this will work in practice. /4
@hayward_katy @Kilsally @HansMaessen @CapacityNow In my view there is no border in the world that does all the things described by @hayward_katy but many have bilateral or multilateral agreements that reduce the level of checks needed (eg Schengen). Ireland and the U.K. both have Schengen opt outs and the CTA has survived it /5
@hayward_katy @Kilsally @HansMaessen @CapacityNow Which is a long winded way of saying that tech can go a long way but can’t fix this alone; and needs to be seen as part of a border transformation programme within a regulatory framework and not a solution in its own right. End.
