Britain lifts threatened ban on Irish exports through Channel Tunnel after deal

BRITAIN is to lift its threatened ban on Irish exports through the Channel Tunnel, following agreement on a security system which will be guaranteed by the Government.

The deal, which has been brokered by the Department of the Marine and affects many millions of pounds worth of exports, is to be confirmed at a British Rail board meeting today. It will involve installation of site security clearance systems in warehouses throughout the State, similar to that used to certify air freight containers.

Last night the Minister of State for the Marine, Mr Eamon Gilmore, said he was confident that there would be no interruption in passage of Irish trade to the European continent.

"We're very pleased to have been able to reach agreement on this," the Minister said.

The November 7th deadline for excluding Irish export access to the tunnel has now been extended to the end of December to allow the system to be set up.

The security "gateway" at Liverpool, which has been administered on an ad hoc basis for Irish shippers and freight forwarders, was to have been closed to Irish goods from that date.

The new system may include a full audit by qualified security personnel of the exporters' premises and manufacturing process, to determine possible risks.

Security screening of unaccompanied Irish exports through the tunnel first became an issue two years ago.

The British Department of Transport, which advised that a system be set up in Ireland, warned the Government last July that a ban would be enforced if no action was taken.

However, neither the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications nor the Department of Justice would take responsibility for addressing the problem; a situation which the Irish Exporters' Association described as a classic case of "buckpassing".

Mr Gilmore intervened two weeks ago, and a significant breakthrough was made in negotiations with British officials and British Rail in the past week. British Rail is parent company for Rail Freight Distributors, which administers the Liverpool gateway and which has complained of the costs involved in running the system.

Details of the proposed security system have still to be worked out, but it is expected that exporters will bear the initial cost. Agreement also has to be reached on responsibility for certification and inspection.

Although the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications certifies air freight containers, it is understood that it has refused to become involved in this case because it is rail freight.

Both the Departments of Justice and of Tourism and Trade take the view that it is a transport responsibility, while even undersea rail is not - as yet considered to be one of the many functions of the Department of the Marine.