11 hours ago
Many businesses face challenges sending goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, says report
The Windsor Framework is causing widespread disruption to trade, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
A report on the impact of the framework has found many companies in Great Britain have stopped trading with Northern Ireland.
Companies were also critical of the assistance which is available from the government to help navigate the difficulties.
A FSB survey found 58% of those who responded said they were facing moderate to significant challenges trading from Great Britain to NI.
As a result of that, more than a third (34%) of the companies said have already ceased trading rather than deal with the demands.
Roger Pollen from the FSB said: "I think we've come a long way from the initial break out of the EU. We had the Northern Ireland Protocol and then we had the Windsor Framework.
"And all of these have been lots of sticking plasters to try and stop the bleeding, but actually underneath there's still a wound that needs to be addressed.
"The system is not yet functioning properly to facilitate free trade and easy trade. We need to address that.
"There are recommendations in the report, things that could be done to make this work a lot better.
"And if we get that right, then the much vaunted dual market access could actually operate, but at the moment the market access within the UK alone is clearly compromised; that's not good enough."
On Wednesday, the Secretary of State responded to the figures detailed in the report, saying he wanted feedback from businesses.
Hilary Benn said: "We should do all that we can to make sure that the information that we provide to businesses helps them to understand what the rules are to navigate their way through them and to make them operate effectively for the business itself.
"The question I would ask as follow up is - if you think that aspects of the service are not very good, well, in what way? What is your feedback? How do you think it could be improved?
"Because we have to take a practical approach. What is it about what you can see at the moment that doesn't work for you? What are your suggestions for how it could be improved?
"And that is something that we will talk to businesses about."
