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UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Asked by Jim AllisterTraditional Unionist VoiceCabinet OfficeTabled Answered 20 March 2025UIN 37523

The question

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 22 February 2023 to Question 146816 on Northern Ireland Protocol and Trader Support Service: Costs, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) Trader Support Services operations, (b) Movement Assistance Scheme operations and (c) the Digital Assistance Scheme between August 2020 and February 2025.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds

The Government is committed to supporting industry in moving goods smoothly between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including through the use of schemes such as the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) and the Trader Support Service (TSS). The costs of the MAS, TSS, and Digital Assistance Scheme (DAS) are set out below:

FY 2020/21

FY2021/22

FY2022/23

FY2023/24

FY2024/25

MAS

£3.53 million

£9.78 million

£8.75 million

£9.64 million

£8.30 million (up to 30/01/2025)

TSS

£100.62 million

£148.80 million

£114.68 million

£105.19 million

£73.18 million (up to 30/01/2025)

DAS

£3.45 million

£13.73 million

£16.6 million

£18.4 million

£15.2 million (up to 28/02/2025)

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