...First some context on those queues.
The Port of Dover has a Transport Access Protocol (TAP) which it implements when it’s having trouble processing lorries through customs smoothly...2/
The Port of Dover has a Transport Access Protocol (TAP) which it implements when it’s having trouble processing lorries through customs smoothly...2/
https://twitter.com/KentHighways/status/1485660231283744778?s=20&t=Es71XqwG0FlTvBr736Ai4w
...The TAP sends lorries that are trying to get onto ferries bound for the Continent queuing down the A20 in Kent, so as not to have them clogging the roads of the town of Dover itself ...3/
https://twitter.com/SimonJonesNews/status/1486379482009194501?s=20&t=Es71XqwG0FlTvBr736Ai4w
...(Note: it’s separate from Operation Stack and Brock, which were no-deal Brexit traffic contingency plans for Kent)...4/ gov.uk/guidance/kent-…
...TAP has been a real pain for lorry drivers who have faced very much longer waits because of the queues.
And the local MP, Natalie Elphicke, told #Newsnight use of TAP adversely impacting local communities on the A20 with noise and pollution...5/
..kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/dov…
And the local MP, Natalie Elphicke, told #Newsnight use of TAP adversely impacting local communities on the A20 with noise and pollution...5/
..kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/dov…
...So how often has the TAP been implemented lately?
The TAP has actually been in existence since 2015, so it pre-dates even the Brexit referendum...6/
gov.uk/government/pub…
The TAP has actually been in existence since 2015, so it pre-dates even the Brexit referendum...6/
gov.uk/government/pub…
...#Newsnight been sent the monthly breakdown of its use by National Highways.
So far this year it’s been activated 23 times by the Port (Jan and Feb 2022 so far highlighted)...7/
So far this year it’s been activated 23 times by the Port (Jan and Feb 2022 so far highlighted)...7/
...having been implemented 69 times in total in the whole of 2021...8/
...So it does seem to be being used more often – especially when you compare its usage to Jan and Feb (when lorry volumes tend to be lighter) in previous years...9/
...But is this *because* of Brexit?
What has changed in January in terms of the Port’s ability to clear lorries?
Well there are new import checks on goods coming to the UK...10/ gov.uk/government/new…
What has changed in January in terms of the Port’s ability to clear lorries?
Well there are new import checks on goods coming to the UK...10/ gov.uk/government/new…
...Yet this would logically affect INBOUND traffic to the UK, so causing delays on the French side.
But something changed on the OUTBOUND customs side too...11/
But something changed on the OUTBOUND customs side too...11/
...Until 1 January goods could be exported and the paperwork completed afterwards (during a 60-day grace period).
Now, though, it has to be completed BEFORE the lorry joins the ferry...12/
gov.uk/government/pub…
Now, though, it has to be completed BEFORE the lorry joins the ferry...12/
gov.uk/government/pub…
...It’s this requirement that seems to have led to additional checks in Dover, where no checks existed before Brexit...13/
...However, the Government has argued that it is “untrue” to suggest that short delays to freight movements at Dover have been caused by new customs processes...14/
...A spokesperson told #Newsnight: “The primary causes were ship-refitting, which reduces capacity across the short straits, and higher than expected freight volumes.”...15/
...The Port of Dover ALSO attributes to the increased use of TAP to some ferries being away on re-fit in January and also points to “external highway works impacting the Port’s holding capacity.”...16/
...So according to the Port itself it’s not JUST the new Brexit customs controls prompting the increased use of TAP...17/
...Yet the port also told #Newsnight:
“These recent supplementary factors, when added to the already increased time to pass through the Port following the introduction of further customs controls on 1st January 2022, have led to the activation of Dover TAP”...18/
“These recent supplementary factors, when added to the already increased time to pass through the Port following the introduction of further customs controls on 1st January 2022, have led to the activation of Dover TAP”...18/
...So the Port IS saying that the new customs checks - brought in because of Brexit - have exacerbated the situation...19/
...And sources at the port told #Newsnight that customs checks per lorry are on average closer to 5-6 minutes since the New Year rather than 2-3 minutes as it was previously...20/
...So if you consider that 10,000 lorries per day pass through the port at peak periods you can see why even a short extra delay per lorry can create backlogs that require the TAP activiation...21/
...Will the port and the hauliers manage to reduce the clearance time back to previous levels as they get used to the new checks?
It’s possible, though some logistics companies #newnight spoke to were not confident...22/
It’s possible, though some logistics companies #newnight spoke to were not confident...22/
...Moreover, the Port is extremely concerned about new biometric tests that the EU is planning to impose on all arrivals from third countries (which now includes the UK) from September....23/ bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…
....That could slow lorry processing times even more, creating the prospects of even *more* use of the TAP...24/
...See this week's #Newsnight report from Dover here, around 31 minutes in: bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episod…
ENDS
ENDS
ADD- you can also watch my #Newsnight report on #Brexit costs and opportunities on YouTube here:
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