Member

The noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, argued strongly that pets being transported between Great Britain and Northern Ireland should be treated in the same way as if they were being transported within Great Britain, a point also made powerfully by the noble Lord, Lord Dodds of Duncairn. I hope that the Government will listen carefully to the noble Baroness’s concerns and others that have been expressed tonight about the impact that this will have on Northern Ireland. We know that barriers such as this will have a chilling effect on travel to and tourism in Northern Ireland, as the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, has said. Can the Minister give the House a cast-iron assurance today that the lifelong pet travel document will remain free of charge for at least the whole of this Parliament, to limit travel barriers to Northern Ireland?