26 March 2019
The Minister for External Relations, Senator Ian Gorst, commented:
“I welcome this Report, which demonstrates the hard work underway across the Government of Jersey to ensure that the Island is well prepared to deal with every Brexit eventuality. It is a reflection of the dedication and skill of officials responsible for our Brexit preparations, and I would like to thank them for their continued efforts.
“I would also like to thank the Chairman, the Brexit Review Panel and the scrutiny officers for their hard work, constructive challenge and valuable insights during the scrutiny process. The panel have made a helpful contribution to the Government of Jersey’s Brexit readiness work and the government looks forward to working closely with them in the coming weeks and months as we learn more about the nature of the UK’s departure from the EU.
“The Brexit Scrutiny Panel‘s findings in this report are balanced and fair. The government is confident that we have robust contingency plans in place to ensure that the negative impacts of a ‘no deal Brexit’ on Jersey are kept to a minimum.
“The government is also happy to accept the Panel’s two recommendations. In the event of a ‘no deal’ outcome, the Brexit Ministerial Group will increase its frequency of meetings in line with the severity of events, and all Ministers will step up bilateral engagement to protect the island’s key sectors.
“We share the panel’s concerns for the island’s key fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The government hosted the latest in a number of meetings of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry group yesterday to discuss how, post Brexit, these industries can continue to export to France with as little disruption as possible. Our engagement with French authorities has confirmed that St Malo will be ready for operation as a Border Inspection Post from 29 March, allowing all fish, shellfish and animal products to be exported into Europe through that port. ”
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