Mr Buckley said,
“The Alliance Party’s decision to oppose the Democratic Scrutiny Committee taking time to consider the impact of the General Product Safety Regulations 2024 on Northern Ireland speaks volumes about how they are more interested in battling for Brussels than they are in battling for Northern Ireland.
These regulations are yet another consequence of the Northern Ireland Protocol and its replacement framework, which continues to create barriers between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, damaging our economy and undermining our place within the United Kingdom.
The General Product Safety Regulations 2024 will impose additional red tape and regulatory burdens on traders in Great Britain seeking to supply Northern Ireland. As a result, many small and medium-sized businesses will simply opt out of trading here, reducing choice and driving up costs for consumers and businesses alike. This is a tangible consequence of the regulatory divergence caused by the Protocol arrangements and the Alliance Party appears blind to it.
The refusal to even consider the impact of these regulations is unacceptable and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the real-world impact they will have on Northern Ireland’s economy.
Whilst progress has been made in rolling back some aspects of the NI Protocol arrangements, there are still problems and we will fight to restore Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom, including removing the application of EU law in our country and the internal Irish Sea Border it creates.”