The TUV leader asked:
“E-commerce is a growing part of our economy. Will the Minister spare a thought for small-scale employers in my constituency and throughout Northern Ireland, who. since Friday, have seen their supply chain clobbered by the imposition on Northern Ireland of the EU’s general product safety regulations? Because of the extra paperwork and the need to pay an agent in Northern Ireland, many suppliers in Great Britain are now refusing to sell to Northern Ireland. Will this Government ever take steps to reintegrate Northern Ireland into the internal market of the UK?”
Mr Allister has also tabled the following motion on the issue:
Impact of the EU General Product Safety Regulation on the UK Internal Market
With multiple e-commerce sites arranging for sellers in GB to stop selling to Northern Ireland because of the impediments and cost of the EU’s General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), this House calls on the Government to stand up for Northern Ireland businesses whose supply chain depends on GB, for Northern Ireland consumers who depend on GB, and for GB small businesses who should have the same opportunity to trade with NI as any other part of the UK, by asserting the rights and primacy of the UK internal market over foreign EU rules.