Today, the government has confirmed plans to introduce import controls on EU goods at the border after the transition period ends on 31 December 2020.

We are leaving the EU’s customs union and single market, taking back control of our borders, and beginning to strike trade deals around the world.

In a speech today by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at a Border Delivery Group stakeholder event, he confirmed all UK exports and imports will be treated equally. This will mean traders in the EU and GB will have to submit customs declarations and be liable to goods’ checks. He also confirmed that the policy easements put in place for a potential no deal exit will not be reintroduced as businesses have time to prepare.

There are a number of reasons for implementing import controls:

• to keep our borders safe and secure so we know who’s coming in and how often, what they are bringing in, and why
• to ensure we treat all partners equally as we begin to negotiate our own trading arrangements with countries around the world
• to collect the right customs, VAT and excise duties
• the EU has said it will enforce checks on our goods entering the Eurozone. We will likewise enforce our own rules for goods entering the UK

Business can prepare for border controls by making sure they have an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number, and also looking into how they want to make declarations such as using a customs agent. We will ensure facilitations currently available to rest of the world traders will also be open to those trading between GB and EU.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove said:

The UK will be outside the single market and outside the customs union, so we will have to be ready for the customs procedures and regulatory checks that will inevitably follow.

As a result of that we will be in a stronger position, not just to make sure that our economy succeeds outside the European Union but that we are in a position to take advantage of new trading relationships with the rest of the world.

This morning HMRC extended the deadline for businesses to apply for customs support funding to 31 January 2021. To date, applications have been made for around £18.5 million out of a possible £26 million – meaning there is at least £7.5 million left to claim from HMRC.

This is aimed at GB/EU traders. This approach does not apply to the flow of trade between Northern Ireland and Ireland, or between Northern Ireland and GB.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has made further improvements to its new electronic catch recording service following feedback from fishermen and talks with the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO).

Three quarters of the UK’s active small scale fishing fleet have so far signed up for the service and over 5000 records have already been recorded.

All skippers in the inshore fleet of around 2000 small fishing boats (under-10 metres long) are being asked to register and record the species and weight of their catch.

For the first time this will provide the accurate information needed to help get the best deal for future quota allocations and better reflect fishing interests in future marine development.

Following recent talks with the NFFO, the MMO confirmed that updates to the service had already been made and continues to provide assurances that those reporting the weight of their catch in good faith would not face prosecution.

Tom McCormack, Chief Executive Officer of the MMO said: “Our main interest is to build an accurate picture of fishing activity because this will help us to help the fishing industry prosper.

“Fishermen who are recording catches to the best of their ability have no need to worry – we are here to support and guide them over the coming months. If and when there is ever a need to consider enforcement or prosecution actions, for example someone persistently misreporting or not recording at all, that decision would be taken on a wide range of evidence. The important thing is that we continue to work together.”

NFFO Chief Executive Barrie Deas said: “The MMO has continued to engage and listen to concerns and we welcome this further improvement. It will enable fishermen to provide the information to their best endeavours, while removing the fear of prosecution if they make an honest mistake.

“The under-10m fleet has suffered for too long from not having enough of the right fishing data – it will help us improve our quota allocations and increase access to more fish in future. The majority of fishermen are complying already and we welcome the support the MMO continues to provide to help those who need assistance as the new system beds in.”

The MMO will continue to support the English fleet to adapt to using the new digital solution with further engagement and support.

The latest updates to the service can be found on the App and online guidance available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/record-your-catch.

Mr Speaker, with your permission, I would like to make a statement about the significant flooding caused by the heavy rain and severe gale force winds brought by Storm Ciara.

First and foremost, I want to extend my condolences on behalf of the whole House to the family and friends of the man who lost his life in Hampshire earlier today … our thoughts are with you.

I would also, Mr Speaker, like to express my support and sympathy to all those whose homes or businesses have been flooded over the weekend.   For each individual affected, flooding can have appalling consequences and I want to provide the assurance today that the Environment Agency, that local government, and that the emergency services are working hard to keep people safe in all of the areas affected by this devastating storm.

Storm Ciara brought rainfall ranging between 40 and 80mm in 24 hours across much of northern England.

The highest levels were recorded in Cumbria with 179.8mm of rain over the course of the day.   Particularly severe impacts have been felt in Yorkshire along the River Calder, in Lancashire along the River Ribble, in Greater Manchester along the Irwell, and in Appelby on the Eden.

Regrettably four of these communities – the Calder Valley, Whalley and Ribchester, the Rossendale Valley, and Appleby – were flooded in 2015.

The current estimate is that over 500 properties have been flooded but this number is expected to increase as further information is collected.   The latest number of properties confirmed to have been flooded are:

• 40 in Cumbria
• 100 in Lancashire
• 150 in Greater Manchester
• and 260 in Yorkshire.

Defences in Carlisle have held.

There is local road disruption across the affected areas and a shipping container is stuck under a bridge in Elland Bridge.   One severe flood warning was issued over the weekend to communicate a ‘risk to life’ along the River Nidd at Pately Bridge.

This has now been removed, flood defences were not over-topped, and no properties were flooded.

Our coastal communities have also been affected in parts of the South, West, and North-East of England, where high tides, large waves, and coastal gales have occurred.

The weather is expected to remain unsettled and 97 flood warnings are currently still in place.   While river levels in West Yorkshire and Lancashire are now receding, we must expect high river levels further downstream in South Yorkshire over the next few days.

So we urge people in at-risk areas to remain vigilant, not to take unnecessary risks, and to sign up to receive Environment Agency flood alerts.

Less serious coastal flooding is probable tomorrow but is not expected to be in the more serious category.

There is extensive work taking place in the impacted areas including clearing debris that can block up river flow.

Environment Agency teams have been deploying temporary flood barriers where necessary.

And I would like to pay tribute to all the dedicated professionals who are working so hard on the emergency response to this situation, operating flood defences, supporting communities and keeping people safe.

That includes the hardworking staff of the Environment Agency, along with local authority teams and of course the police and fire services.

I’d also like to thank all the volunteers who are part of Local Flood Action Groups helping the response effort.

Mr Speaker, every effort is being made to keep people safe and I can confirm this afternoon that the Government is today activating the Bellwin scheme.

This will provide significant financial support to the local authorities in the areas affected by Storm Ciara, helping them fund the costs of recovery.

I would encourage councils in the areas affected to consider applications to the Bellwin fund.

Mr Speaker, in a changing climate, we all want our country and our communities to be better protected from flooding and more resilient when severe weather occurs.

There areas hit by flooding at the weekend, there at least 25,000 properties and businesses have been successfully protected by flood defences.

But we know that more needs to be done and we are determined to deliver.

Since the incidents of Boxing Day 2015, we have been taking action to deliver a range of schemes to strengthen defences and improve resilience.   We are investing more than ever before in these defences in a £2.6 billion programme up to 2021 to manage flood and coastal erosion risk.

This will enable better protection of over 300,000 properties.

Early in 2016, we committed an unprecedented £35m to improve flood protection for homes and businesses in Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, and across Calderdale.

Construction in Mytholmroyd is progressing and we expect defences there to be completed in the summer.

We have built 25 new flood defences in Cumbria and Lancashire protecting 23,100 homes and 59 new flood defences in Yorkshire protecting 13,200 homes.

In the autumn I announced an extra £60m to boost flood schemes in the north, including £19m for the Calder Valley.

Our manifesto commits us to a further £4 billion of new funding in the five years up to 2026.   In 2016 we introduced the Flood Re scheme to make insurance cover for flooding more affordable and more accessible.

Following the flooding in November I announced an independent review of the data on insurance cover to ensure that the scheme is working as effectively as possible.

Since the incidents of 2015, we’ve strengthened and improved our system of flood warnings.

And we have established a Flood Recovery Framework to prepare for and guide flood recovery schemes.

Mr Speaker, this Government is determined to maintain and enhance our readiness to respond when extreme weather hits our country.

Our swift activation of the Bellwin scheme today and our investment in the biggest ever programme of flood defence improvements illustrate that determination.

We stand ready to help communities recover from flooding.

We are investing in the defences needed in the warmer, wetter, less predictable climate that the scientists tell us we must expect in the years to come.

And I commend this statement to the House.

During January, there were two new detentions of foreign flagged vessels in a UK port.

1. In response to one of the recommendations of Lord Donaldson’s inquiry into the prevention of pollution from merchant shipping, and in compliance with the EU Directive on Port State Control (2009/16/EC as amended), the Maritime and Coastguard agency (MCA) publishes details of the foreign flagged vessels detained in UK ports each month.

2. The UK is part of a regional agreement on port state control known as the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MOU) and information on all ships that are inspected is held centrally in an electronic database known as THETIS. This allows the ships with a high risk rating and poor detention records to be targeted for future inspection.

3. Inspections of foreign flagged ships in UK ports are undertaken by surveyors from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. When a ship is found to be not in compliance with applicable convention requirements, a deficiency may be raised. If any of their deficiencies are so serious they have to be rectified before departure, then the ship will be detained.

4. All deficiencies should be rectified before departure.

5. When applicable, the list includes those passenger craft prevented from operating under the provisions of the EU Directive on a system of inspections for the safe operation of Ro-Ro passenger ships and high-speed passenger craft in regular service and amending directive 2009/16/EC and repealing Council Directive 1999/35/EC (Directive EU 2017/2110)

Notes on the list of detentions

• Full details of the ship. The accompanying detention list shows ship’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) number which is unchanging throughout the ship’s life and uniquely identifies it. It also shows the ship’s name and flag state at the time of its inspection.
• Company. The company shown in the vessel’s Safety Management Certificate (SMC) or if there is no SMC, then the party otherwise believed to be responsible for the safety of the ship at the time of inspection.
• Classification society. The list shows the classification society responsible for classing the ship only.
• Recognised organisation. Responsible for conducting the statutory surveys: and issuing statutory certificates on behalf of the flag state
• white (WL), grey (GL) and black lists (BL) are issued by the Paris MoU on 01 July each year and shows the performance of flag State. *Deficiencies The deficiencies listed are the ones which were detainable. Further details of other deficiencies can be provided on request.

SHIPS DETAINED IN JANUARY 2020

Vessel Name: LIVA GRETA

GT: 851

IMO: 8801072

Flag: Lativa (white list)

Company: Liepajas Trading & Shipping Agency Ltd

Classification society: RINA

Recognised organisation: RINA

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: RMRS

Date and place of detention: 11th January 2020 at Birkenhead

Summary: Nine deficiencies with two grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
11113 – Launching arrangements for rescue boats	Inoperative	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st January 2020

Vessel Name: GLEN A

GT: 2827

IMO: 9015046

Flag: Panama (white list)

Company: Marmura Island Shipping Corp

Classification society: Isthmus Bureau of Shipping, S.A Recognised organisation: Isthmus Bureau of Shipping, S.A

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: Isthmus Bureau of Shipping, S.A

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Isthmus Bureau of Shipping, S.A

Date and place of detention: 24th January 2020 at Scunthorpe

Summary: Twelve deficiencies with five grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
07115 – Fire-dampers	Inoperative	Yes
01206 – Certificate of advanced fire-fighting	Not as required	Yes
11125 – Embarkation arrangements rescue boats	Inoperative	Yes
07125 – Evaluation of crew performance (fire drills)	Lack of familiarity	Yes
18306 – Sleeping room, additional spaces	Not as required	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st January 2020

DETENTIONS CARRIED OVER FROM PREVIOUS MONTHS

Vessel Name: ZHENG ZHI

GT: 43951

IMO: 9596090

Flag: Panama (white list)

Company: Fujian Ocean Ship Management

Classification society: Lloyds Register

Recognised organisation: Lloyds Register

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: Lloyds Register

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Lloyds Register

Date and place of detention: 31st December at Immingham

Summary: Three deficiencies with one ground for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
04114 – Emergency source of power – Emergency generator	Inoperative	Yes

This vessel was released 3rd January 2020

Vessel Name: MBC DAISY

GT: 10154

IMO: 9609902

Flag: Italy (white listed)

Company: Mediterranean Bulk Holding L.T.D.

Classification society: RINA

Recognised organisation: RINA

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: N/A

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: N/A

Date and place of detention: 10th December 2019 at Birkenhead

Summary: Twelve deficiencies with six grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes
11110 – Stowage and provision of liferafts	HRU improp. fitted	Yes
11112 – Launching arrangements for survival craft	Inoperative	Yes
01220 – Seafarers’ employment agreement (SEA)	Invalid	Yes
18204 – Non-payment of wages	Non-payment of wages	Yes
18313 – Cleanliness	Dirty	Yes

This vessel was released 3rd January 2020

Vessel Name: JIREH

GT: 743

IMO: 7112204

Flag: Nigeria (not listed)

Company: Norled AS

Classification society: None

Recognised organisation: None

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: None

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: None

Date and place of detention: 26th November 2019 at Portland

Summary: Twenty-two deficiencies with five grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
01140 – Maritime Labour Certificate	Missing	Yes
01106 – Document of Compliance (DOC/ISM)	Missing	Yes
01107 – Safety Management Certificate (SMC/ISM)	Missing	Yes
01199 – Other (Certificates)	Other	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes

This vessel was still detained 31st January 2020

Vessel Name: KUZMA MININ

GT: 16257

IMO: 7721263

Flag: Russian Federation (Grey list)

Company: Murmansk Shipping Co

Classification society: RMRS

Recognised organisation: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: RMRS

Date and place of detention: 18th December 2018 at Falmouth

Summary: Thirteen deficiencies with six grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
01220 – Seafarers’ employment agreement (SEA)	Expired	Yes
18314 – Provisions quantity	Insufficient	Yes
01139 – Maritime Labour Certificate	Expired	Yes
01101 – Cargo Ship Safety Equipment (including exemption)	Survey out of window	Yes
10104 – Gyro compass	Inoperative	Yes
01104 – Cargo Ship Safety Radio 9 (including exemption)	Survey out of window	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st January 2020

Vessel Name: POSEIDON

GT: 1412

IMO: 7363217

Flag: Iceland (White list)

Company: Neptune EHF

Classification society: NA

Recognised organisation: NA

Recognised organisation for ISM Doc: DNV-GL

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: DNV-GL

Date and place of detention: 19th July 2018 at Hull

Summary: Ten deficiencies with two grounds for detention

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
02106 – Hull damage impairing seaworthiness	Holed	Yes
07113 – Fire Pumps	Insufficient Pressure	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st January 2020

Vessel Name: TECOIL POLARIS

GT: 1814

IMO No: 8883290

Flag: Russian Federation (Grey list)

Company: Tecoil Shipping Ltd

Classification society: RMRS

Recognised organisation: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM DOC: RMRS

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: RMRS

Date and place of detention: 6th June 2018 at Immingham

Summary: Twenty-seven deficiencies with eight grounds for detentions

Defective item	Nature of defect	Ground for Detention
10105 – Magnetic compass	Inoperative	Yes
10104 – Gyro compass	Inoperative	Yes
11129 – Operational readiness of lifesaving appliances	Not as required	Yes
10127 – Voyage or passage plan	Not as required	Yes
15150 – ISM	Not as required	Yes
11104 – Rescue boats	Not properly maintained	Yes
11101 – Lifeboats	Not ready for use	Yes
01117 – International Oil Pollution Prevention (IOPP)	Invalid	Yes

This vessel was still detained on 31st January 2020

Vessel Name: CIEN PORCIENTO (General Cargo)

GT: 106.

IMO No: 8944446.

Flag: Unregistered.

Company: Open Window Inc.

Classification society: Unclassed.

Recognised organisation: Not applicable.

Recognised organisation for ISM DOC: Not applicable.

Recognised organisation for ISM SMC: Not applicable

Date and place of detention: 4 March 2010, Lowestoft

Summary: Thirty deficiencies including seven grounds for detention

This vessel was still detained on 31st January 2020

Notes to Editors:

• The MCA is a partner in the Sea Vision UK campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the sea and maritime activities. Sea Vision promotes the importance and economic value of the sector and works to highlight the exciting range of activities and career opportunities available to young people within the UK growing maritime sector.

• Follow us on Twitter: @MCA_media

For further information please contact:

Maritime and Coastguard Agency Press Office, on: +44 (0) 2380 329 401 Press releases and further information about the agency is available here.

One of DVLA’s primary functions is to collect vehicle tax on behalf of the Treasury. Most vehicle keepers tax their vehicle when they should – over 98% did the right thing at the last count. We do lots of things to help remind vehicle keepers when their vehicle tax is due, such as millions of postal reminders every year, providing quick and easy to use digital services and targeted communications campaigns.

Despite all this, some motorists still don’t tax their vehicles and continue to drive them on the road. This is where we come in. Our role is to spot untaxed vehicles and take action against them.

How we do it

I work with a fantastic team that makes these enforcement measures happen.

We’ve been really busy since we last blogged about this. We’ve stepped up our enforcement activities with our partners such as local councils and the police in all parts of the country. No matter where you live, we take action against those who don’t tax.

A range of measures, such as fines and penalties, stickers, wheel clamping and communications designed to change behaviour, are having a positive effect in combating tax evasion.

If you’re caught without tax, it’s expensive, inconvenient and just not worth it. When DVLA clamps an untaxed vehicle the motorist is charged a £100 release fee. If they cannot show the vehicle has been taxed when it’s released, the motorist will have to pay a surety fee of £160. This is refunded if the motorist can show the vehicle has been taxed within 15 days.

If the release fee’s not paid within 24 hours, DVLA impounds the vehicle and the fee rises to £200. There’s also a storage charge of £21 per day. Again, a surety fee of £160 must be paid if the motorist cannot show that the vehicle’s been taxed.

Motorists who choose to evade tax take a very real risk of losing their cars, as well as the potential of multiple financial penalties.

Getting the message out there

As well as the hard graft we put in on the road every day, our communications team ran a locally targeted communications campaign in each of the locations of the UK where vehicle tax evasion is highest. Adverts ran on lots of different channels including radio, print, online and social media. This helped to reach those who have avoided, or might be thinking of avoiding, their vehicle tax.

My teams are always out across the country but we’ll be well supported by the communications once again when the advertising resumes in the areas we’ll be in.

The message is clear to all those who continue not paying their vehicle tax – tax it or lose it.

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