Official data debunk protocol claims

Posted By: December 15, 2022

IRISH CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING

Distributed to Congress by Irish National Caucus

“The front page of today’s Irish News of Belfast further exposes the Big Lie about the Northern Ireland protocol. Time for Truth, Justice, Love, and Freedom (the four social values). And time to build up The Beloved Community in all of Ireland—north, south, east, and west.”—Fr. Sean McManus.

Official data debunk protocol claims

Ryan McAleer. Irish News. Belfast. Wednesday, December 14, 2022

OFFICIAL trade data on the Northern Ireland Protocol has debunked claims about its negative impact on flows between Northern Ireland and Britain, Sinn Féin has said.

The Northern Ireland Economic Trade Statistics (NIETS) recorded the value

of trade between the north and Britain during the first year of the post-Brexit agreement.

It showed sales between Britain and the north increased by 7 percent in 2021.

Critics of the protocol have argued that trade across the Irish Sea has suffered as a result of new checks and controls.

But the new research from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) shows the £14.45 billion in sales between Britain and the north last year was £1bn more than in both 2020 and 2019.

The NIETS measure both the sales and purchases of goods and services by northern businesses in the non-financial business sectors.

While the increase reflects the economy bouncing back from the impact of Covid-19 in 2020, it does not appear to support claims that the protocol has damaged trade with Britain in its first year.

Opponents of the protocol continue to maintain that grace periods remain in place for some goods crossing the Irish Sea, effectively meaning the post-Brexit deal has not yet been fully implemented.

Sinn Féin MLA Caoimhe Archibald said the data “debunks false claims around the protocol.

“This is clear evidence of its positive impact on our economy,” she said.