Border IT system fixed after 10-day outage
The outage of a border IT system arrange after Brexit to enhance ready occasions has created additional delays for hauliers and merchants already dealing with lengthy queues at Dover.
The authorities’s Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), which permits firms transferring items between the UK and the European Union (EU) to file customs types electronically, has been down since 31 March after an replace to a separate authorities customs system, often called Chief, took it offline.
Following the outage, drivers have been unable to entry the GVMS portal and acquire a items motion reference (GMR) quantity, which is actually a barcode required to depart the UK.
GVMS customers have been as a substitute forced to provide alternative documentation on an interim foundation, together with a “transit accompanying document” and a “declaration unique consignment reference”, however not like the GMR barcode, these should not scannable and due to this fact add to processing time on the border as they should be accomplished by hand.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which developed and is accountable for the GVMS, stated these and different interim measures could be in place till noon as we speak (11 April), and confirmed to Computer Weekly that it has been “business as usual” from that point.
“Following an outage last week, we successfully made changes to the HMRC network to allow availability of the GVMS,” stated a spokesperson for HMRC. “Contingencies remained in place over the weekend to continue to ensure the movement of goods and allow continued testing. From Monday midday, goods movement references are required for all movements using GVMS.”
According to a Financial Times report, the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) stated a few of its members hauling recent meat had been “stranded” for as much as two days. In response, the affiliation, which represents the UK meat business, referred to as on the federal government to fast-track the export of perishable items.
A BMPA spokesperson confirmed to Computer Weekly that the affiliation understood the system was operational after listening to suggestions from member firms that hauliers had been capable of entry the system once more.
The outage, mixed with a variety of different components – together with voyage cancellations ensuing from P&O Ferries dismissing practically 800 workers with out discover, elevated tourism site visitors round Easter and poor climate situations – to create huge, 30-mile-plus standstill queues main as much as the border.
Duncan Buchanan, coverage director on the Road Haulage Association, described the week-long outage to GVMS as “really unhelpful” at a time of an “accumulation” of different issues.
In November 2020, a National Audit Office report famous that the general readiness of the GVMS system was high-risk “due to a lack of time for adequate integration and testing with hauliers and carriers”.
Tim Reardon, head of EU Exit on the Port of Dover, stated as early as June 2020: “If HMRC were to buy a licence for the French system, that would be a very simple thing to do and traders would like it.”
