The Upper Bann MLA sits on the Economy Committee who heard evidence today from representatives of the franchise car dealerships in Northern Ireland around the impact their businesses will face from a requirement for new cars sold in Northern Ireland to be certified under EU type approval rather than the GB type approval for vehicles across the rest of the United Kingdom.
Speaking afterwards he said, “Parties who championed the Protocol and Windsor Framework often dismiss the impact their choice has on business and consumers. From January, new cars sold in Northern Ireland will require EU type approval and dealers in Northern Ireland will not be able to access the pool of stock within Great Britain which makes up for a huge proportion of the new cars sold here.
A customer could travel to Scotland, purchase the car and bring it back on the ferry or it could be ordered directly from a GB-based dealer and delivered here. The impact is only on the dealers based in Northern Ireland. For them to sell the same car will mean a higher price and a longer lead-time for the customer.
Had Northern Ireland followed the same post-Brexit rules as the rest of the United Kingdom this would not be happening. This is not a direct result of us leaving the European Union but a direct result of those who prioritised protection of the EU Single Market over our access to the UK internal market.
In this specific case, the “EU Market” in question was 18 luxury vehicles that were purchased in Northern Ireland by ROI customers last year. That is the grand total of the ‘all-Ireland economy’ in this industry. To protect those 18 customers, the jobs of 17,000 people have been threatened.
This is a practical, real-world example of the wilful blindness of those whose desire was to cling to the European Union regardless of the consequences. The potential consequences of that in just one sector are job losses, higher costs and even the withdrawal of some manufacturers from the Northern Ireland market, which then has a knock-on impact on aftersales and servicing even if the same cars are purchased directly from a GB dealer.
It's time there was a recognition of the problem by those who created it. The Government must also take action to ensure that Northern Ireland is included within the Great Britain type approval to protect both consumers, jobs and the local economy here in Northern Ireland.