Stormont working group planning for no trade deal expanded

By David Young, PA

A Stormont working group established to plan for a no deal on post-Brexit trade is to be expanded to include police and local councils, an Assembly committee has heard.

Food standards officials are also to be invited to take a seat on the working group.

Senior Stormont official Andrew McCormick told the Executive Office committee that the group incorporating department officials had been established at the end of the summer.

He said uncertainty over what failed trade talks would mean for Northern Ireland and the need to secure ministerial direction on how to take forward contingency planning were reasons why it had not been set up earlier.

Mr McCormick had been asked by committee member Doug Beattie to confirm whether a specific group was overseeing plans for a no trade deal outcome.

“There is a working group, it met this morning, we’ve had that regularly for the last month or more,” he replied.

“We’re nearly ready to open up that group to a wider attendance including PSNI and local government, as would be convention in any planning approach of this nature where we’re dealing with contingency planning that stretches from policymaking and decision-making through to very much practical operational issues.”

Fellow Executive Office official Karen Pearson said: “We’d like to be further on, no doubt.

“But there are still some unknowns and gaps in our knowledge that we need to fill.

“But absolutely our commitment is that local government and PSNI and food standards will be in that group as quickly as we can.”

Mr McCormick said part of the group’s work involved engagement with the Irish government.

“We’re in touch regularly with colleagues in the Irish government,” he said.

“There are logistical issues that are best dealt with and are being dealt with between the respective operational departments.”