Well, my Lords, I have taken part in many debates since I entered the House in 2010 but this one represents a record in that there is only one other Peer here for me to address. I am extremely pleased that that happens to be the noble Lord, Lord Tunnicliffe, whom I thank for his remarks, and I hope I can fully answer his questions.
The instrument proposes a further six-month extension to the waiver on safety and security declaration requirements that would otherwise apply to imports to Great Britain from the EU. In 2020, the UK imported £301 billion worth of goods, from mechanical parts to fresh produce, from the EU. This was 50% of all UK imports. Given the disruption caused by the pandemic, we are keen to ensure that traders have time to prepare for new customs requirements, which will protect UK supply chains and consumers.
After those opening remarks, I shall seek to answer—I hope in full—the questions and observations raised by the noble Lord. He quite rightly noted that, during previous debates, the Government said that we would not extend this waiver and that traders would have to comply with full safety and security declaration requirements on all exports from 1 October 2021 and on imports from 1 January 2022, as I mentioned in my opening speech. However, I assure the noble Lord that traders have been complying with full safety and security declaration requirements on all exports since 1 October 2021, when that waiver ended. A huge amount of
work went into ensuring that businesses were ready for those requirements, and they have been operating successfully, without disruption, since October.
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However, as I mentioned previously, the unprecedented impact from the pandemic has lasted longer than we could have imagined. While many businesses have taken steps to prepare for the requirements, many more are continuing to struggle with the economic impacts of this pandemic. Over the last six months, we have seen the knock-on effects of the pandemic on global supply chains, representing a further challenge to businesses, particularly smaller traders and hauliers. More recently, although this was after the Government’s initial announcement of the extension of this waiver for imports, we have seen further disruption due to the new omicron variant, as the noble Lord knows only too well.
These ongoing impacts have seen businesses operating in unprecedented circumstances, which is why the Government have taken the decision to further extend this waiver. This extension will support businesses and provide them some welcome relief. As the noble Lord knows, the Government have extended the delay only to the introduction of safety and security declarations; full customs declarations will be required from 1 January 2022. The Government have always taken a staged approach to new customs controls to avoid any cliff edges, and this extension will give businesses time to ensure they are ready for new customs requirements.
The Government are ready to implement safety and security requirements. I reassure the noble Lord that the S&S Great Britain IT system, which receives and risks these declarations, is up and running and being used by traders that import goods from the rest of the world. Inland border facilities are also already in use for Dover and Eurotunnel, and will be in place for Holyhead from 1 January.
To sum up, the Government are introducing this SI as part of our efforts to provide additional support to businesses and help them recover from the lasting impacts of the pandemic. This will also support them to manage the pressures on global supply chains that we are seeing around the world.