Lord Roborough (Con)

My Lords, I thank the Minister for being in her place to listen to the concerns of noble Lords. These regulations relate to the Northern Ireland retail movement scheme, which was established under the Windsor Framework to allow goods to move from Great Britain to Northern Ireland more easily. It is central that we protect the integrity of our union. These regulations, however, seek to align our import requirements with those in the EU for goods originating from non-EU countries, specifically pest measures. When it comes to our import requirements, these should of course protect from plant pests, but it is not clear why our requirements must mirror future EU requirements, and I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Frost, for his Motion. A formal consultation and full impact assessment were deemed unnecessary, but can the Minister explain the evidence base behind this decision? Regarding NIRMS more widely, there is concern that businesses may not be able to meet the 19 October deadline for “Not for EU” labelling for bottles moving from GB to Northern Ireland. Can the Minister clarify whether she believes the sector has capacity and guarantee that this will not result in sudden commercial waste or widespread product delistings? Our regulations should be evidence-based, practical and pro-business, not ideological. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s response.