The Government recognises that as the primary digital system for managing border biosecurity, IPAFFS plays a key role in supporting enforcement and traceability of consignments. This is why users of IPAFFS can see the relevant information needed for their role – Port Health Authorities within Local Authorities have access to the data in IPAFFS relative to the arrivals of SPS consignments to their individual port. To give further access to local authorities would have GDPR implications and risks sharing commercially sensitive data. As outlined in response to paragraph 21, the negotiations with the EU for the SPS Agreement have not yet commenced and it is not possible to provide at this stage any accurate information as to whether IPAFFS will continue to be utilised. The Government agrees that IPAFFS should be maintained while in use and will continue to update the system as needed, alongside evaluating its feasibility of integration with EU systems. This feasibility assessment will need to account for what is agreed in the negotiations with the EU and as such we cannot commit to set up pilot projects within three months. As outlined in the overarching comments section, the Government expects negotiations to start later in the autumn. The Government therefore partially accepts this recommendation, committing to maintaining and updating IPAFFS and evaluating its feasibility for integration with EU systems, but rejecting the part of this recommendation that asks for local authorities to have access to wider information through IPAFFS.