Business group established to look at Brexit backstop alternatives

Wednesday, 26 June 2019 00:01

Members appointed to the Business and Trade Union Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group. Group will ensure work on alternative arrangements to help replace the Northern Ireland backstop by the end of 2020 is informed by the views of those trading within the island of Ireland and across the Irish Sea. It complements the Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group, made up of experts in trade and...Request free trial

Members appointed to the Business and Trade Union Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group.
Group will ensure work on alternative arrangements to help replace the Northern Ireland backstop by the end of 2020 is informed by the views of those trading within the island of Ireland and across the Irish Sea.
It complements the Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group, made up of experts in trade and customs, which met for the first time last week (Thursday 20 June).
The business and trade union group will meet for the first time today (Wednesday 26 June).

Following the launch last week of an expert advisory group looking at alternative arrangements to the Northern Ireland backstop, the Government has convened a second group made up of businesses and trade unions to ensure their experience and on-the-ground knowledge informs developments.

The group includes cross-sector representatives from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and will ensure the views of businesses and their employees are represented in this process.

The new Business and Trade Union Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group will complement the work of the recently-established Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group, which comprises trade and customs experts tasked with considering workable solutions to the backstop.

They will consider processes associated with the movement of goods across borders and options for simplifying them, such as trusted trader programmes and advanced use of data and IT systems.

The UK and EU have a shared desire to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements to ensure there is no hard border — and both sides have committed to prioritising the development of these in the next phase of talks.

The business and trade union group is one of three domestic advisory groups that the Governmentannounced earlier this year to help inform its negotiations with the EU on this important issue.

The first meeting of the business and trade union group will take place today (Wednesday 26th June). It will be co-chaired by Brexit minister Robin Walker and BEIS minister Andrew Stephenson.

Robin Walker, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, said:

“The development of alternative arrangements to replace the backstop has been recognised as a priority by both the UK Government and the EU Commission. Accordingly, we have a highly-informed group of experts in trade and customs focused on developing and testing workable solutions.

“But it is vital that any possible alternatives to the backstop are informed by the views of those on the ground, whose goods cross the border every single day. So I am delighted to chair this important group, which will ensure that the voices of business and trade union representatives are heard.”

Members of the business and trade union group have been chosen based on their comprehensive backgrounds in cross-border supply chains. The group includes large companies who can represent the views of themselves and their suppliers, as well as smaller companies who rely on cross-border “just in time” supply chains.

The Government has made available £20 million of funding to support the development, testing or piloting of any ideas that emerge from the advisory groups.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

The Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration set out the shared determination of the UK and the EU to replace the backstop solution in Northern Ireland with a subsequent agreement establishing alternative arrangements.
The UK and EU have agreed to give priority to a specific worksteam in the second phase of talks intended to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements.
In March the UK Government announced it intended to establish three advisory groups to inform the UK’s negotiations with the EU on this issue:
- an expert advisory group of technical experts in trade and customs - from the public and private sector, and academia, to ensure those with specialist expertise are involved. This met for the first time last week;
- a business and trade union engagement group - to ensure that the views of those trading within the island of Ireland and across the Irish Sea inform the ongoing work;
- and a parliamentary engagement group - to allow Government to consult with Members of Parliament from across both Houses with an interest in the work. The Government is considering how best to take into account political views across Northern Ireland as part of this work.
The Government will announce the membership of the parliamentary group in due course.
For more information call the DExEU press office at 020 7276 0432.

BUSINESS AND TRADE UNION ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS ADVISORY GROUP MEMBERS:

Name	Biography
Aodhán Connolly, British Retail Consortium NI, Director	Aodhán Connolly is the Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium. Aodhán is responsible for working with local authorities, the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive, Westminster, the Oireachtas and Europe.
John McGrane, British Irish Chamber of Commerce, Director General	John McGrane is the Director General of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce and a Member and retired Vice President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce.
Dr Mike Johnston, Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, Chief Executive	Dr Mike Johnston is the Chief Executive of Dairy Council for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Director at Dairy UK.
Seamus Leheny, Freight Transport Association NI, Policy Manager	Seamus Leheny previously represented European and deep sea shipping lines at Belfast Port before his current role as Policy Manager for the Freight Transport Association Northern Ireland.
Angela McGowan, CBI NI, Director	Angela McGowan became Director of the CBI Northern Ireland in 2017, having joined from Danske Bank UK where she was the Chief Economist since 2008.
Karen Marshall, BoW Leather, Managing Director	Karen Marshall has recently taken on the role of COO of Scottish Leather Group, the parent company of BoW Leather where she was Managing Director for several years. BoW leather is the UK’s only leather manufacturer for the automotive industry. They export to over 60 countries.
Aidan Gough, InterTradeIreland, Designated Officer and Director of Strategy and Policy	Aidan Gough is the Designated Officer for InterTradeIreland, the cross-border trade and business development body. Established by the Good Friday Agreement, the body has helped thousands of businesses develop and grow through cross border trade and innovation partnerships.
Conall Donnelly, Northern Ireland Meat Exporters Association, Executive Director	Conall Donnelly is Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Meat Exporters' Association and is a former economist at the Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland. NIMEA is the representative body for the Northern Ireland beef and lamb sector and develops industry-wide positions on key policy areas, including technical, economic and supply-chain issues impacted by Brexit.
David Nicholl, NC Engineering, Director	David Nicholl is a Director of NC Engineering, a high-value manufacturer based in Northern Ireland, which specialises in construction machines, commercial trailers and agricultural equipment.
Wilson Del Socorro, Diageo, Global Director of Public Affairs	Wilson Del Socorro is Diageo’s Trade Lead. Wilson oversees public policy (tax, international trade and regulatory affairs) and government relations, and has a current focus on Brexit’s global implications for Diageo.
Wesley Aston, Ulster Farmers’ Union, Chief Executive	Wesley Aston is the Chief Executive of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU). Wesley has represented the Union at local, UK and EU levels and has been centrally involved in the UFU’s activity on the major issues affecting Northern Ireland’s farmers over the past twenty eight years.
Ian Hampton, Stena Line, Chief People, Communications and Sustainability Officer	Ian Hampton is Stena Line’s Chief People, Communications and Sustainability Officer, within this scope the role is responsible for matters relating to Brexit. Stena Line is a Port Owner and Ferry Company operating multiple routes and ports across Europe. Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea.
Marcus Wachtmeister, BMW Group UK, Head of Government Affairs	Marcus Wachtmeister is Head of Government Affairs at BMW Group UK and is Chair of the Brexit Task Force at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Tom McGroder, Sensata Technologies (Schrader Electronics), Global Trade Compliance EU Regional Manager	Tom McGroder is the Global Trade Compliance EU Regional Manager for Schrader Electronics, based in Antrim, Northern Ireland. Tom has over 25 years’ experience in operational management, trade compliance and customs issues.
Clare Guinness, Warrenpoint Harbour, Chief Executive	Clare Guinness is the Chief Executive of Warrenpoint Harbour, as well as a NI Committee Member of the Institute of Directors.
Owen Reidy, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Assistant General Secretary	Owen Reidy is the Assistant General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), with responsibility for all of the ICTU's work in Northern Ireland.
Dr Gerard O’Hare CBE, DL, Belfast Harbour, Board Member	Dr O'Hare CBE, DL was appointed to the Board of Belfast Harbour in 2012. He is also a Board Member of Invest NI and was previously a Board Member of InterTradeIreland.
Craig Jones, General Electric, Director of Government Relations	As GE’s Government Relations Director, Craig Jones is responsible for interactions with government across all of GE’s businesses, including energy, healthcare, aviation and digital.