Lord Empey has expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of clarity from the Government about the role of EU Officials at Northern Ireland`s ports. Lord Empey had tabled questions on the matter in the House of Lords.
Lord Empey said:
“I asked the Government how many EU officials are at Northern Ireland`s ports and what they had agreed regarding their status, power and purpose. The answer I received provides little clarity and is yet another example of this Government ducking and diving to avoid the reality of the Brexit mess. They need to come into the real world.
“The fact that they dodge the question about how many EU Officials are on the ground at Northern Ireland`s ports is pathetic and paints a picture of a Government hopelessly out of touch and with something to hide. We don`t even know what countries these EU Officials come from. The Government can only hide the answers to these questions for so long.
“The Government also states that the EU officials have ‘the right to supervise the enforcement of the NI Protocol’. What exactly does that mean? Under whose legal jurisdiction do EU officials operate? Do EU Officials dictate the terms to DAERA civil servants in our own country telling them what can and can`t be done? Who do they report to? And who is ensuring that these anonymous EU Officials aren`t over-zealously enforcing EU law to the deliberate detriment of GB-NI trade?
“These questions deserve answers and I will keep on asking the questions until I get them.”