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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/28/department-transport-criticise-meg-hillier-secretive-no-deal-brexit-preparations
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| DfT criticised over secretive preparations for no-deal Brexit | DfT criticised over secretive preparations for no-deal Brexit |
| (3 days later) | |
| British ports must expect major disruption if the government leaves the European Union without a deal, according to parliament’s spending watchdog. | British ports must expect major disruption if the government leaves the European Union without a deal, according to parliament’s spending watchdog. |
| The public accounts committee (PAC) said the Department for Transport (DfT) had been “complacent“ and “secretive“ in its dealings with the public over the possibility of leaving Europe on World Trade Organisation rules. | The public accounts committee (PAC) said the Department for Transport (DfT) had been “complacent“ and “secretive“ in its dealings with the public over the possibility of leaving Europe on World Trade Organisation rules. |
| Theresa May rejects Donald Trump's criticism of Brexit deal | |
| In a damning report released on Wednesday, MPs said businesses and members of the public had not been given adequate information about what might happen. | In a damning report released on Wednesday, MPs said businesses and members of the public had not been given adequate information about what might happen. |
| They highlighted the department’s use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) while negotiating with the transport industry as hampering the spread of information. | They highlighted the department’s use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) while negotiating with the transport industry as hampering the spread of information. |
| It was published after Chris Grayling’s department faced further criticism from hauliers over the limited number of permits that will be used by lorry drivers in the event of a no deal. | It was published after Chris Grayling’s department faced further criticism from hauliers over the limited number of permits that will be used by lorry drivers in the event of a no deal. |
| If MPs reject the deal, there are seven possible paths the country could go down next. | If MPs reject the deal, there are seven possible paths the country could go down next. |
| May brings it back to MPsPerhaps with minor tweaks after a dash to Brussels. MPs knuckle under and vote it through. | May brings it back to MPsPerhaps with minor tweaks after a dash to Brussels. MPs knuckle under and vote it through. |
| May resigns immediatelyIt is hard to imagine her surviving for long. After a rapid leadership contest, a different leader could appeal to a majority in parliament, perhaps by offering a softer deal. | May resigns immediatelyIt is hard to imagine her surviving for long. After a rapid leadership contest, a different leader could appeal to a majority in parliament, perhaps by offering a softer deal. |
| Tory backbenchers depose herJacob Rees-Mogg gets his way and there is a no-confidence vote. A new leader then tries to assemble a majority behind a tweaked deal. | Tory backbenchers depose herJacob Rees-Mogg gets his way and there is a no-confidence vote. A new leader then tries to assemble a majority behind a tweaked deal. |
| May calls a general electionMay could choose to take the ultimate gamble and hope that voters would back her deal, over the heads of squabbling MPs. | May calls a general electionMay could choose to take the ultimate gamble and hope that voters would back her deal, over the heads of squabbling MPs. |
| Labour tries to force an electionThe opposition tables a vote of no confidence. If May lost, the opposition (or a new Conservative leader) would have two weeks to form an alternative government that could win a second confidence vote. If they were unable to do so, a general election would be triggered. | Labour tries to force an electionThe opposition tables a vote of no confidence. If May lost, the opposition (or a new Conservative leader) would have two weeks to form an alternative government that could win a second confidence vote. If they were unable to do so, a general election would be triggered. |
| A second referendum gathers supportThis is most likely if Labour makes a last-ditch decision to back it. | A second referendum gathers supportThis is most likely if Labour makes a last-ditch decision to back it. |
| No dealThe EU (Withdrawal) Act specifies 29 March 2019 as Brexit day. Amber Rudd has said she believes parliament would stop a no deal, but it is not clear how it would do so. | No dealThe EU (Withdrawal) Act specifies 29 March 2019 as Brexit day. Amber Rudd has said she believes parliament would stop a no deal, but it is not clear how it would do so. |
| Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee, said the department did not seem to know how to tackle a growing list of preparations. | Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee, said the department did not seem to know how to tackle a growing list of preparations. |
| “The risks associated with no-deal are severe, yet plans for avoiding disruption around major ports in particular are worryingly under-developed,” she said. “The secrecy around the department’s preparations, and the shortcomings in assurance on its progress, are a potentially toxic combination.” | “The risks associated with no-deal are severe, yet plans for avoiding disruption around major ports in particular are worryingly under-developed,” she said. “The secrecy around the department’s preparations, and the shortcomings in assurance on its progress, are a potentially toxic combination.” |
| Work is under way to convert four lanes of a 13-mile stretch of the M20 motorway to allow hundreds of articulated lorries to park up if they are delayed in reaching the Port of Dover. | Work is under way to convert four lanes of a 13-mile stretch of the M20 motorway to allow hundreds of articulated lorries to park up if they are delayed in reaching the Port of Dover. |
| Transport department officials have called the £35m project Operation Brock. The report said officials had been “complacent” and were failing to communicate properly with businesses so they could get ready for such an outcome. | Transport department officials have called the £35m project Operation Brock. The report said officials had been “complacent” and were failing to communicate properly with businesses so they could get ready for such an outcome. |
| “The slow progress and poor communication around work to avoid this through schemes such as Project Brock concerns us,” it said. “With only months to go, it is extremely worrying that we are seeing these same concerns again and again with little progress being made.” | “The slow progress and poor communication around work to avoid this through schemes such as Project Brock concerns us,” it said. “With only months to go, it is extremely worrying that we are seeing these same concerns again and again with little progress being made.” |
| Officials are still waiting to test several new IT systems, which will help manage 28 new internal projects such as issuing permits for international drivers from the EU. These are supposed to be delivered within a few weeks but IT systems are “notoriously difficult for the government to deliver on time”, the report said. | Officials are still waiting to test several new IT systems, which will help manage 28 new internal projects such as issuing permits for international drivers from the EU. These are supposed to be delivered within a few weeks but IT systems are “notoriously difficult for the government to deliver on time”, the report said. |
| Required legislation such as statutory instruments (SIs) needed to allow for a no-deal Brexit may have to be forced through with little democratic scrutiny, MPs observed. | Required legislation such as statutory instruments (SIs) needed to allow for a no-deal Brexit may have to be forced through with little democratic scrutiny, MPs observed. |
| Senior civil servants who appeared before the committee last month said businesses would have to develop their own plans to deal with a no-deal Brexit, such as hauliers finding different routes or points of entry to Europe. | Senior civil servants who appeared before the committee last month said businesses would have to develop their own plans to deal with a no-deal Brexit, such as hauliers finding different routes or points of entry to Europe. |
| MPs said they were concerned that engagement with the transport industry was covered by NDAs, which meant that information was not passed on. “We see these agreements as undermining transparency and hampering the spread of information to the business community at large,” the report said. | MPs said they were concerned that engagement with the transport industry was covered by NDAs, which meant that information was not passed on. “We see these agreements as undermining transparency and hampering the spread of information to the business community at large,” the report said. |
| The department on Monday opened applications from hauliers for internal road haulage permits, known as ECMT permits, which will be needed for British lorries to travel across the Channel in the event of a no-deal Brexit. | The department on Monday opened applications from hauliers for internal road haulage permits, known as ECMT permits, which will be needed for British lorries to travel across the Channel in the event of a no-deal Brexit. |
| Hauliers must pay £10 to apply and £133 if successful in obtaining one of about 1,200 annual permits available. Almost 40,000 hauliers who may seek to do business abroad, according to the Road Haulage Association. | Hauliers must pay £10 to apply and £133 if successful in obtaining one of about 1,200 annual permits available. Almost 40,000 hauliers who may seek to do business abroad, according to the Road Haulage Association. |
| The RHA’s communications director, Rod McKenzie, said: “It’s an ill thought-out lottery and it feels very unfair to hauliers who will miss out. And there is no other mechanism at the moment for getting stuff across the Channel after March 2019 if there is a hard Brexit.” | The RHA’s communications director, Rod McKenzie, said: “It’s an ill thought-out lottery and it feels very unfair to hauliers who will miss out. And there is no other mechanism at the moment for getting stuff across the Channel after March 2019 if there is a hard Brexit.” |
| A DfT spokesman said: “We disagree with the committee’s conclusions, which are not accurate, and we are both disappointed and surprised that they have failed to reflect the evidence set out in the [National Audit Office] report, which found that the department has made a determined effort in its preparations and achieved a great deal.” | A DfT spokesman said: “We disagree with the committee’s conclusions, which are not accurate, and we are both disappointed and surprised that they have failed to reflect the evidence set out in the [National Audit Office] report, which found that the department has made a determined effort in its preparations and achieved a great deal.” |
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