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Farm Business
Politics, Covid19 and Brexit
The NI/ROI Protocol
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<blockquote data-quote="nivilla1982" data-source="post: 8085155" data-attributes="member: 45400"><p>Northern Ireland could be forced to follow EU rules on Covid tests</p><p>Whitehall infighting over plans to carve province out of UK’s Coronavirus Test Device Approval regulations to comply with protocol</p><p>Steven Edginton 11 April 2022 • 9:00pm</p><p>Northern Ireland Executive officials have warned there could be fewer or lower quality Covid tests as a result of the change Credit: Geoff Pugh/for the Telegraph</p><p>European Union rules for Covid tests are set to replace British law in Northern Ireland despite warnings that the move risks shortages and will infuriate Unionists.</p><p>Whitehall is riven by infighting over plans to carve the province out of the UK's Coronavirus Test Device Approval (CTDA) regulations to comply with the Northern Ireland Protocol.</p><p>The protocol means the country has continued to follow some EU rules after Brexit, including for medical devices, to prevent the need for a hard Irish border.</p><p>The EU's Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation is set to come into force in on May 26 and, under protocol rules, must take precedence over the CTDA in Northern Ireland.</p><p>Health officials want a statutory instrument laid in parliament to take Northern Ireland out of the CTDA, which has been in force since July last year. One suggested doing otherwise would mean breaking UK and international law, according to correspondence seen by The Telegraph.</p><p>The statutory instrument would "expedite passage and minimise parliamentary handling" an internal document said.</p><p>Foreign Office and Northern Ireland Office officials were "strongly against" the move. Emails seen by The Telegraph showed they were angry not to be warned sooner and now feel restrained from action by "purdah" rules ahead of the Northern Ireland elections.</p><p>They would prefer a delay until after the May 5 vote, widely expected to be a de facto referendum on the protocol.</p><p>Placeholder image for youtube video: fBS-yzH7hhA</p><p>The DUP, which walked out of the power-sharing government in protest at the protocol, argues that it is driving a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Britain and the EU are also in protocol negotiations over cutting the number of customs controls faced by British goods entering Northern Ireland.</p><p>There has been an uneasy truce since Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, dialled down British threats to suspend parts of the protocol by triggering Article 16, but the supplanting of British law in Northern Ireland is likely to reignite calls from Tory backbenchers for Article 16 to be invoked.</p><p>Brussels has warned that such a move would risk the EU cancelling its trade deal with the UK.</p><p>Northern Ireland Executive officials have told London they resent being ripped out of the CTDA and warned there could be fewer or lower quality Covid tests in the province as a result. Most of Northern Ireland's supplies of tests come from Britain, which increases the risk of shortages.</p><p>Ireland, which could supply EU-compliant tests, put limits on sales of tests during the most recent surge of the virus.</p><p>Using the national stockpile to make up a Northern Irish test shortage would risk crippling the UK's emergency response to a new Covid variant, officials warned in documents obtained by The Telegraph.</p><p>"Using the stock in this scenario would significantly weaken the UK-wide contingency response if such a response were needed," one said. The tests would still need to comply with the new EU standards, it added, before describing the risk of shortages as "small".</p><p>Northern Ireland officials were "extremely concerned about the prospect of being in a separate regulatory regime to the UK and are concerned what this means for both the supply and quality of tests available to the people of Northern Ireland," the paper said.</p><p>It warned: "They are also concerned that it could cause increased tensions in the Unionist community."</p><p>The CTDA has, for the time being, higher standards for Covid tests than the EU regulation. It sets minimum standards for test performance, while the EU rules do not at this stage.</p><p>The Whitehall document includes the draft of a letter which it suggests could be sent to Robin Swann, Northern Ireland's health minister.</p><p>"I and my officials have explored ways of keeping Northern Ireland in the same regulatory regime as the rest of the UK, however this is not possible," the letter reads. "I know this is disappointing news as you have been a strong supporter of the CTDA since its introduction."</p><p></p><p>[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/04/11/northern-ireland-could-forced-follow-eu-rules-covid-tests/?fbclid=IwAR0Ep8e6ulh1P1YNcdv6MA_Xyt39WcPsc_u4eWN8zcxPCcwcjp4-hT7fLLE[/URL]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="nivilla1982, post: 8085155, member: 45400"] Northern Ireland could be forced to follow EU rules on Covid tests Whitehall infighting over plans to carve province out of UK’s Coronavirus Test Device Approval regulations to comply with protocol Steven Edginton 11 April 2022 • 9:00pm Northern Ireland Executive officials have warned there could be fewer or lower quality Covid tests as a result of the change Credit: Geoff Pugh/for the Telegraph European Union rules for Covid tests are set to replace British law in Northern Ireland despite warnings that the move risks shortages and will infuriate Unionists. Whitehall is riven by infighting over plans to carve the province out of the UK's Coronavirus Test Device Approval (CTDA) regulations to comply with the Northern Ireland Protocol. The protocol means the country has continued to follow some EU rules after Brexit, including for medical devices, to prevent the need for a hard Irish border. The EU's Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation is set to come into force in on May 26 and, under protocol rules, must take precedence over the CTDA in Northern Ireland. Health officials want a statutory instrument laid in parliament to take Northern Ireland out of the CTDA, which has been in force since July last year. One suggested doing otherwise would mean breaking UK and international law, according to correspondence seen by The Telegraph. The statutory instrument would "expedite passage and minimise parliamentary handling" an internal document said. Foreign Office and Northern Ireland Office officials were "strongly against" the move. Emails seen by The Telegraph showed they were angry not to be warned sooner and now feel restrained from action by "purdah" rules ahead of the Northern Ireland elections. They would prefer a delay until after the May 5 vote, widely expected to be a de facto referendum on the protocol. Placeholder image for youtube video: fBS-yzH7hhA The DUP, which walked out of the power-sharing government in protest at the protocol, argues that it is driving a wedge between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Britain and the EU are also in protocol negotiations over cutting the number of customs controls faced by British goods entering Northern Ireland. There has been an uneasy truce since Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, dialled down British threats to suspend parts of the protocol by triggering Article 16, but the supplanting of British law in Northern Ireland is likely to reignite calls from Tory backbenchers for Article 16 to be invoked. Brussels has warned that such a move would risk the EU cancelling its trade deal with the UK. Northern Ireland Executive officials have told London they resent being ripped out of the CTDA and warned there could be fewer or lower quality Covid tests in the province as a result. Most of Northern Ireland's supplies of tests come from Britain, which increases the risk of shortages. Ireland, which could supply EU-compliant tests, put limits on sales of tests during the most recent surge of the virus. Using the national stockpile to make up a Northern Irish test shortage would risk crippling the UK's emergency response to a new Covid variant, officials warned in documents obtained by The Telegraph. "Using the stock in this scenario would significantly weaken the UK-wide contingency response if such a response were needed," one said. The tests would still need to comply with the new EU standards, it added, before describing the risk of shortages as "small". Northern Ireland officials were "extremely concerned about the prospect of being in a separate regulatory regime to the UK and are concerned what this means for both the supply and quality of tests available to the people of Northern Ireland," the paper said. It warned: "They are also concerned that it could cause increased tensions in the Unionist community." The CTDA has, for the time being, higher standards for Covid tests than the EU regulation. It sets minimum standards for test performance, while the EU rules do not at this stage. The Whitehall document includes the draft of a letter which it suggests could be sent to Robin Swann, Northern Ireland's health minister. "I and my officials have explored ways of keeping Northern Ireland in the same regulatory regime as the rest of the UK, however this is not possible," the letter reads. "I know this is disappointing news as you have been a strong supporter of the CTDA since its introduction." [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/04/11/northern-ireland-could-forced-follow-eu-rules-covid-tests/?fbclid=IwAR0Ep8e6ulh1P1YNcdv6MA_Xyt39WcPsc_u4eWN8zcxPCcwcjp4-hT7fLLE[/URL] [/QUOTE]
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