The
External
Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee as part of its remit to
consider the implications for Wales of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the
European Union decided to undertake an inquiry into the implications of Brexit
for Welsh ports.
As
part of the inquiry the Committee considered:
Evidence
gathering
The
Committee took oral evidence as part of its inquiry on the following dates:
12
June (577 KB)
3 July
(311 KB)
The
Committee also undertook a rapporteur visit to Dublin to speak to counterparts
in the Irish Government, businesses and stakeholders in the maritime sector.
Read the rapporteur
summary of the discussions (PDF 192KB).
The
Committee also received written evidence as part of the inquiry, which can be
viewed below.
Report
The
Committee’s report on the implications of Brexit
for Welsh ports was published on 4 August 2017. Read
the full report (PDF 2MB).
On the day the report was published, David Rees AM,
Chair of the Committee, said:
"Welsh ports directly support 18,400 jobs, and
many more besides. At the moment, Holyhead and Fishguard both work on the
premise of seamless travel from one side of the Irish Sea to the other for
goods and people. We learned that many Welsh ports lack the physical capacity
to accommodate new customs and border checks, which could have an unwelcome
effect including increased delays and congestion.
"We also know that there are fears in the industry
that a future soft border in Northern Ireland, whilst a harder border exists
across the Irish Sea, could pose a risk to Welsh ports as traffic may re-route
to ports in England and Scotland. This would have a serious economic impact in
Wales, and it is vital that the Welsh Government works with the UK Government
to ensure that our ports and our industries aren't unfairly disadvantaged by
Brexit."
Response
to the report
The Welsh Government laid
its response to the report in October 2017. The report was debated
in Plenary on Wednesday 11 October 2017. Watch the debate on Senedd.TV.
Keeping in touch
If
you'd like to know more about the work of the External Affairs and Additional
Legislation Committee, please view
its homepage, follow its Twitter
account or contact the team that supports the Committee at SeneddEAAL@assembly.wales
The
Committee sends a regular Brexit Update email. If you'd like to receive this in
your inbox, please email SeneddEAAL@assembly.wales
to request this.
Business type: Committee Inquiry
Reason considered: Assembly Business;
Status: Inquiry in progress
First published: 31/05/2017
Decision due: Meeting Date by External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee