We are responsible for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU.
Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs
Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue
Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.
Department for Exiting the European Union does not have Bills currently before Parliament
A Bill to implement, and make other provision in connection with, the agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union which sets out the arrangements for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU.
This Bill received Royal Assent on Thursday 23rd January 2020 and was enacted into law.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
The Government notes Islamophobia Awareness Month but takes the view that combatting Islamophobia is not a time-limited task and such thinking and behaviour should be tackled whenever it occurs. For that reason we continue to work closely with Muslim communities to tackle hate against them, including understanding issues and trends. This includes supporting Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) with just over £2.8m distributed over the last five years to monitor, combat and raise awareness of anti-Muslim hatred.
Officials in my Department have recently been in discussions with the Department for Transport on its Transport Regulatory Review, in which the Government Equalities Office and the wider Equalities Hub has an interest, particularly in relation to disability.
This builds on publication in 2018 of our Inclusive Transport Strategy which sets out what we are doing to improve access across all transport modes and we will continue to seek further improvements.
The Office for National Statistics and Public Health England are government-funded bodies that are conducting research and analysis to understand gender impacts of COVID-19. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is also funding work in this area, such as adapting existing longitudinal studies to cover covid impacts, and running an open call for research proposals on covid-19. In addition, the Government Equalities Office has commissioned a survey under its existing Gender and Behavioural Insights research programme to measure the impact of the changes in the uptake of flexible working on gender equality within households and the workplace.
The Procedure Committee agreed on 11 May that the time allowed for a Private Notice Question should be increased from ten minutes to fifteen minutes. This change was approved by the House on 14 May. The allocation of time for the answers to Urgent Questions in the House of Commons repeated in the form of Oral Statements remains as if it were taking place in the Chamber, and there are currently no plans to extend the time allowed for these. The Procedure Committee will continue to keep these arrangements under review.
A Gender Recognition Certificate is a private, legal document which a person would not usually be required to produce as a condition of accessing services, in the same way that a person would not usually be asked to produce their birth certificate. If evidence of gender is required to access a service, it will normally be possible to provide it in the form of other documents, for example a driving licence or a passport.
The Equality Act allows service providers to offer services to one sex only, for example men’s or women’s toilets or changing rooms. Transgender people can be excluded from single-sex facilities if service providers have a legitimate reason for doing so and if exclusion is the least discriminatory way to proceed.
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee to respond to these questions on his behalf.
Under the definition in the Approved Code of Practice, the Bishops’ Bar would not be considered a “confined space”, a term which should not be confused with a small space. When the Services Committee considered the required changes to the Bishops’ Bar in July, it accepted that the Administration had a duty of care towards staff working in the outlet and that the current conditions for food preparation were unsuitable.
We have no record of any incidents of food poisoning as a result of food consumed from the House of Lords Bishops’ Bar between 2009 and October 2019.
The Services Committee has no plans to review the methodology used by the food safety auditors who evaluated the Bishops’ Bar.
DExEU has organised over 700 recorded engagements with business and civil society stakeholders from every sector of the British economy since July 2016 and to date DExEU Ministers have attended over 120 roundtable meetings on a wide range of topics. The Department continues to engage with businesses as we approach exit day on 31 January.
Additionally, the UK will continue to participate in programmes funded under the current 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) until their closure. This means that the vast majority of programmes will continue to receive EU funding across the programme’s lifetime. In many cases, funding will continue until after 2020 and the end of the Implementation Period.
Government will continue to hold regular forums with intermediaries, trade associations and business organisations to support them through the transition period.
Access to new procurement procedures during the implementation period will continue as normal. For any procedures ongoing at the end of the implementation period the existing regime will continue up to award. Therefore, companies registered in Northern Ireland will be able to continue to tender for EU Commission contracts during the implementation period as they do now.
The EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill makes clear that it is a matter for UK courts to determine UK law, and provides for legal clarity after the implementation period. It also provides for how UK courts must interpret relevant separation agreement law under our international obligations.
Companies will be subject to the court systems of the jurisdictions in which they operate, as normal.
The European Parliament will vote on the Withdrawal Agreement on 29 January. The European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee published its draft recommendation on 14 January. This recommended the European Parliament give its consent to the Withdrawal Agreement. The Secretary of State has discussed this with Brexit Steering Group Co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt.
Once the ratification process is complete on both sides, the UK leaves the EU with a deal on 31 January.
Regarding the movement of people, the UK and Irish governments have made firm commitments to protect Common Travel Area arrangements, including the associated rights of British and Irish citizens in each other's state. Article 3 of the revised Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland allows the UK and Ireland to continue these arrangements after EU Exit.
Northern Ireland remains part of the UK’s single customs territory.The Prime Minister has been clear that, beyond the limited changes introduced by the Northern Ireland Protocol, there will be no changes to GB-NI trade in goods.
Under the terms of the Protocol no tariffs will be paid on goods moving within the United Kingdom unless they are destined to enter the EU via the Republic of Ireland.
Once we leave the EU, the UK will cease to be a Member State. Movements of goods from Great Britain to the Republic of Ireland will be subject to the arrangements concluded by the UK and the EU as part of the future relationship. We are aiming for an ambitious agreement with the EU with zero tariffs and quotas which could, depending on what is agreed, replace the Protocol.
In the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration, both sides have committed to use their best endeavours to negotiate that agreement by the end of this year.
Most importantly, the special arrangements provided for in the Protocol are subject to the democratic consent of the people of Northern Ireland, ensuring that if they find the arrangements of the Protocol unsatisfactory for any reason they have the choice to bring those arrangements to an end.
GDPR has not affected the rights of unions in DExEU to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
The Government recognises the importance of mobility for economic, social and cultural cooperation. This includes the value of visa-free travel arrangements for UK nationals and EU citizens traveling to each other's territories for short-term visits. ONS figures show that in 2018, UK residents made c.54 million visits to the EU of which c.87% lasted for a period of 13 nights or fewer.
The EU has already legislated such that UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in every 180-day period. This will apply once free movement ends and after the end of the implementation period.
The Political Declaration sets out the aspects of mobility that the UK and the EU have committed to discuss in the negotiations on the future relationship. This includes providing for visa-free travel for short-term visits. Any provisions agreed in the negotiations would benefit all UK nationals, including those who own property in the EU. The detail of future mobility arrangements with the EU will be subject to negotiation.
The Government recognises the importance of mobility for economic, social and cultural cooperation. This includes the value of visa-free travel arrangements for UK nationals and EU citizens traveling to each other's territories for short-term visits. ONS figures show that in 2018, UK residents made c.54 million visits to the EU of which c.87% lasted for a period of 13 nights or fewer.
The EU has already legislated such that UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in every 180-day period. This will apply once free movement ends and after the end of the implementation period.
The Political Declaration sets out the aspects of mobility that the UK and the EU have committed to discuss in the negotiations on the future relationship. This includes providing for visa-free travel for short-term visits. Any provisions agreed in the negotiations would benefit all UK nationals, including those who own property in the EU. The detail of future mobility arrangements with the EU will be subject to negotiation.
The Government recognises the importance of mobility for economic, social and cultural cooperation. This includes the value of visa-free travel arrangements for UK nationals and EU citizens traveling to each other's territories for short-term visits. ONS figures show that in 2018, UK residents made c.54 million visits to the EU of which c.87% lasted for a period of 13 nights or fewer.
The EU has already legislated such that UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to the Schengen area for short stays of up to 90 days in every 180-day period. This will apply once free movement ends and after the end of the implementation period.
The Political Declaration sets out the aspects of mobility that the UK and the EU have committed to discuss in the negotiations on the future relationship. This includes providing for visa-free travel for short-term visits. Any provisions agreed in the negotiations would benefit all UK nationals, including those who own property in the EU. The detail of future mobility arrangements with the EU will be subject to negotiation.
Yes. DExEU complies with this requirement; any safety representative employed by the Department would be entitled to time off with pay, which would not be set against facility time.
Obligations to provide reasonable paid time off to trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties include paid time off for safety representatives, as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.
There are no DExEU employees who would receive an increase to their salary in the event that their hourly rate was (a), (b) or (c). This is because the lowest paid member of DExEU staff hourly rate is higher than these amounts.
Any private sector companies undertaking facilities management work for the Department for Exiting the European Union are managed and employed by building owners. The department operates, and has memorandum of terms of occupations (MOTO’s) with those building owners. As part of those agreements, those building owners employ and manage any third-party facilities management companies, so is therefore not the responsibility of the department. The department was recently onboarded to the Government Property Agency to manage the estate and the contracts between the department and those third-party companies. This responsibility would therefore sit with the Government Property Agency.
The EU Settlement Scheme makes it easy for EU citizens and their family members who want to stay in the UK to get the UK immigration status they need. It is free to make an application to the scheme so that there is no financial barrier to anyone who wishes to stay.
Applicants will only need to complete three key steps - prove their identity, show that that they live in the UK and declare any criminal convictions. The Home Office will check the employment and benefits records the Government holds to establish their period of residence, meaning most applicants won’t need to do anything to evidence their residence. Where there are gaps, a wide variety of documents can be submitted as evidence, including a dated bank statement showing payments received or spending in the UK, a dated letter from a UK GP or indefinite leave to remain documentation.
There is also provision in the EU Settlement Scheme for applicants to apply without a valid identity document where they are unable to obtain one for compelling practical or compassionate reasons or due to circumstances beyond their control.
There is a wide range of support available online, over the phone and in person to help people apply. We have awarded £9 million this financial year to 57 voluntary and community sector organisations across the UK to help us reach an estimated 200,000 vulnerable or at-risk EU citizens and their family members.
Additional support is also available to those EU citizens in the UK who do not have the appropriate access, skills or confidence to apply online. This includes over 300 assisted digital locations across the UK where people can be supported through their application. Since 30 March 2019, there have only been around 6,300 appointments for Assisted Digital support. It is one of several ways people can verify their identity, including by post. There are also over 80 locations where applicants can have their passport scanned and verified across the UK.
Once our Brexit deal has been approved by parliamentarians we will leave the EU on 31 January, with certainty on the terms of our exit.
Page five of the Conservative manifesto set out that we would leave the EU in January. The Government has a clear mandate and is determined to honour the promises made to the British public.
Once our Brexit deal has been approved by parliamentarians we will leave the EU on 31 January, with certainty on the terms of our exit.
Page five of the Conservative manifesto set out that we would leave the EU in January. The Government has a clear mandate and is determined to honour the promises made to the British public.
The Secretary of State most recently had a bilateral meeting with Jeremy Miles AM on 9 January 2020 to discuss a number of topics. The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations also took place on 9 January 2020 which was attended by Lord Callanan, Minister of State.
If it is in the UK’s interests we will seek to participate in some EU programmes, such as those related to science, research and innovation, as a third country. The Political Declaration provides for this possibility, and the terms of participation would be a matter for upcoming negotiations.
We recognise the importance of working closely with colleagues in the devolved administrations on preparations for negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU, and the significant interests of the devolved administrations and responsibilities for implementation in a number of areas.
The Secretary of State most recently met with Jeremy Miles AM on 9 January 2020. The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations also took place on 9 January 2020 which was attended by Lord Callanan, Minister of State, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
DExEU Ministers continue to hold regular discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care Ministers. The Government hugely values the contribution of EU staff to the NHS. We have taken steps to ensure that existing staff are able to remain working and living in the UK through the EU Settlement Scheme; and we will seek to ensure qualifications from the EU will continue to be recognised after we have exited the European Union.
Since the referendum, there are almost 7,300 more EU nationals working in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups.1 Furthermore, the Government has pledged to increase nurse numbers by 50,000 in the next five years, and give all nursing students on courses from September 2020 a payment of at least £5,000 which they will not need to pay back.
Recruitment for the NHS does not stop at the EU, we recruit talented individuals from all over the globe. The Government will launch a new visa to ensure qualified doctors, nurses and health professionals have fast-track entry to work in the United Kingdom. This will help ensure that there will be sufficient numbers of staff following the UK’s exit from the EU to enable the delivery of the high-quality services on which the public relies.
The Department for Health and Social Care continues to monitor and analyse staffing levels across the NHS and social care.
1 NHS Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) Workforce Statistics in England, NHS Digital, (Dec 2019). Figure based on comparison between June 2016 and September 2019.
Our manifesto, clearly set out the ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work. As announced in the Queens’ Speech, we will be bringing forward separate legislation to enhance rights to make the UK the best place in the world to work.
At the end of the Implementation Period, nearly all European Union law in effect in the UK will be saved and incorporated into a new category of domestic law called ‘Retained EU Law’. This includes judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) made before the end of the Implementation Period.
Therefore, each of the cases named in the Parliamentary Questions will be categorised as Retained EU Law.
Our manifesto, clearly set out the ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work. As announced in the Queens’ Speech, we will be bringing forward separate legislation to enhance rights to make the UK the best place in the world to work.
At the end of the Implementation Period, nearly all European Union law in effect in the UK will be saved and incorporated into a new category of domestic law called ‘Retained EU Law’. This includes judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) made before the end of the Implementation Period.
Therefore, each of the cases named in the Parliamentary Questions will be categorised as Retained EU Law.
Our manifesto, clearly set out the ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work. As announced in the Queens’ Speech, we will be bringing forward separate legislation to enhance rights to make the UK the best place in the world to work.
At the end of the Implementation Period, nearly all European Union law in effect in the UK will be saved and incorporated into a new category of domestic law called ‘Retained EU Law’. This includes judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) made before the end of the Implementation Period.
Therefore, each of the cases named in the Parliamentary Questions will be categorised as Retained EU Law.
Our manifesto, clearly set out the ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work. As announced in the Queens’ Speech, we will be bringing forward separate legislation to enhance rights to make the UK the best place in the world to work.
At the end of the Implementation Period, nearly all European Union law in effect in the UK will be saved and incorporated into a new category of domestic law called ‘Retained EU Law’. This includes judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) made before the end of the Implementation Period.
Therefore, each of the cases named in the Parliamentary Questions will be categorised as Retained EU Law.
Our manifesto, clearly set out the ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to work. As announced in the Queens’ Speech, we will be bringing forward separate legislation to enhance rights to make the UK the best place in the world to work.
At the end of the Implementation Period, nearly all European Union law in effect in the UK will be saved and incorporated into a new category of domestic law called ‘Retained EU Law’. This includes judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) made before the end of the Implementation Period.
Therefore, each of the cases named in the Parliamentary Questions will be categorised as Retained EU Law.
As set out in the Political Declaration, both the UK and EU have committed to reaching an agreement on our future relationship by the end of 2020. This is in everyone’s interests.
As set out in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, we will not be extending the Implementation Period beyond 2020.
The UK Government remains committed to working closely with the devolved administrations on EU Exit. Our most recent discussions with the devolved administrations took place last Thursday at the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations.
I regularly meet with my predecessor, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to discuss the deal, including the new Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, and will continue to do so.
As the Prime Minister has said, beyond the changes introduced by the Protocol, there will be no changes to GB-NI trade. Northern Ireland remains part of the UK’s customs territory.
It is the responsibility of the UK Government to negotiate international agreements, and it is vital that we retain appropriate flexibility to proceed with negotiations at pace.
We are nevertheless clear that the devolved administrations should be closely involved in the process. We have already engaged extensively with them in negotiation preparations, and will continue to do so. There is no need to set out in statute a course of action we are already pursuing.
Last Thursday, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Lord Callanan, Minister of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union, met with Mike Russell at the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations.
The power in clause 11(3) will be used to ensure that the Special Immigration Appeals Commission is able to hear a review of an exclusion direction made on national security grounds in relation to an individual within the scope of the EU Settlement Scheme.
There is no intention to use the power in clause 11 to limit the scope or availability of judicial review.
The UK Government remains committed to the Sewel convention and the principle of legislative consent. The Secretary of State wrote to the Scottish Government on 18 December to seek their recommendation of consent for the Bill and has discussed this directly with Mike Russell.
I am disappointed that the Scottish Parliament voted against granting consent last week. We will continue to discuss the Bill with the Scottish Government.
Our focus is on getting the PM’s great Brexit deal through Parliament over the coming weeks. As I said during DExEU Oral Questions on 9 January 2020, we’ll keep you posted on plans to commemorate 31 January and announcements will be made in the usual way – we will of course be celebrating the day.
Financial accounts for this will be in line with normal processes.
Our focus is on getting the PM’s great Brexit deal through Parliament over the coming weeks. As I said during DExEU Oral Questions on 9 January 2020, we’ll keep you posted on plans to commemorate 31 January and announcements will be made in the usual way – we will of course be celebrating the day.
Financial accounts for this will be in line with normal processes.
In October 2019, the Government published an Impact Assessment in support of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, in line with statutory requirements.
It is a standard assessment which focuses on the likely direct costs and benefits to businesses associated with the provisions of the Bill, for example familiarisation/administration costs. It does not assess wider impacts of the Withdrawal Agreement on the UK economy, which is considered outside the scope of the Bill.
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
The department has engaged extensively with representatives of businesses, industry groups and trade unions from Northern Ireland. This includes through the government’s Alternative Arrangements Business Advisory Group and Technical Advisory Group. Ministers are continuing to engage with representatives from all sectors of the Northern Ireland economy.
We also liaised extensively with Northern Ireland Civil Service and the Police Service of Northern Ireland as we developed the UK’s negotiating position on the NI border.
In the new Northern Ireland/Ireland Protocol, Northern Ireland will only be aligning with those EU rules on goods necessary to remove the need for regulatory checks at the land border. Goods and agricultural products entering Northern Ireland will need to be compliant with the rules of the regulatory zone. Northern Ireland will remain in the UK customs territory but will apply EU customs rules, which are well understood by businesses in Northern Ireland that already trade with the Rest of the World.
The Government has made clear commitments to ensure unfettered access for Northern Ireland businesses to the whole UK internal market. Some practical information will need to be provided electronically on movement of goods West-East, but Northern Ireland will have tariff-free access to the whole UK market.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
The deal negotiated by the Government with the EU explicitly allows the UK to ensure unfettered market access for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. The UK does not therefore intend to carry out checks on such movements of goods.
There will be a minimal administrative process which is designed to prevent, for example, trade in endangered species. We will work with the EU to eliminate this limited process as soon as possible after Brexit.
These arrangements automatically dissolve after four years unless a majority of the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont votes to keep them.
Since July 2016, the Department for Exiting the European Union has organised over 850 recorded engagements with business and civil society stakeholders from every sector and major region of the UK economy. DExEU Ministers have attended over 120 roundtable meetings on preparedness and a wide range of other EU exit topics, and have met national business and sectoral organisations that represent the key industries of the North West’s economy.
Ministers continue to conduct an extensive programme of visits across the UK to engage with business and civil society stakeholders on EU exit. Ministers have visited Chambers of Commerce across the North West, and organisations with supply chains closely connected to the European Union.
The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, introduced on 21 October included a clause intended to give Parliament a crucial role in shaping and agreeing the UK’s future relationship with the European Union. This clause would require:
that Parliament signs off of the final objectives for the negotiations, before negotiations EU-UK can begin.
that Parliament sign off on the final deal, once political agreement has been reached.
that the Government formally reports on progress of negotiations against the objectives set by Parliament every three months.
The Prime Minister has negotiated a new deal which would ensure that the UK leaves the EU in an orderly and friendly way.
However, the Government is also well prepared for a no deal scenario. The Treasury has made over £8.3 billion available to prepare for Brexit, including £2.1 billion in August this year to increase preparations for leaving without a deal.
The food industry is experienced in dealing with scenarios that can affect food supply, from adverse weather damaging crops in other countries to transport issues abroad. The Government has been meeting weekly with industry and retailers to make sure we are prepared for all exit scenarios.
The Government remains committed to providing support to those who need it most, and the national benefit system will continue to provide a strong safety net, delivering over £200 billion in support this year. In particular, the Government continues to spend over £95 billion a year on welfare benefits. This includes a well-established system of hardship payments, benefit advances and budgeting loans as an additional safeguard for those who need them.