Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 July (HL16639), who are the members of (1) the advisory, (2) the technical expert, (3) the business and trade union, and (4) the parliamentary engagement, groups; what meetings have been held by each of those groups; when each such meeting occurred; and whether they will publish any documents those groups have (a) considered, and (b) produced.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government announced the formation of the Technical Advisory Group on 20 June, and of the Business and Trade Union Advisory Group on 26 June. We will set out further details of the parliamentary group in due course. The Technical Group has met twice, on 20 June and 17 July, and the Business Group has met once, on 26 June. Both groups will continue to meet throughout August and September.
The Technical Group is made up of technical experts in trade and customs and brings together individuals from the public and private sector, and academia, who have expertise on issues spanning law, customs, supply chains, cross-border trade and technology. The members represent a broad spectrum of views and expertise, all of which will be needed to achieve our economic, fiscal and security objectives in the unique circumstances of the Northern Ireland land border. A full list of members can be found on gov.uk.
The Business Group is made up of businesses and trade unions to ensure their experience and on-the-ground knowledge informs developments. This includes cross-sector representatives from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. The members have been chosen based on their comprehensive backgrounds in cross-border supply chains; this includes large companies who can represent the views of themselves and their suppliers, as well as smaller companies who rely on cross-border “just in time” supply chains. A full list of members can be found on gov.uk.
We will set out further details of the Parliamentary group in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 9 July (HL16639), who are the members of the Technical Alternative Arrangements Advisory Group; which government department each member is drawn from; how many meetings that Group has held; when each of those meetings occurred; and whether they will publish any minutes and documents relating to that Group.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government announced the formation of the Technical Advisory Group on Alternative Arrangements on 20 June. The group has met twice, on 20 June and 17 July, and will continue to meet throughout August and September.
It is made up of technical experts in trade and customs and brings together individuals from both the public and private sector, and academia, who have expertise on issues spanning law, customs, supply chains, cross-border trade and technology. The members represent a broad spectrum of views and expertise, all of which will be needed to achieve our economic, fiscal and security objectives in the unique circumstances of the Northern Ireland land border. A full list of members can be found on gov.uk.
Further information about the work of the groups will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications of no longer participating in Eurostat's data collection and international comparisons of services for public service provision and planning in the UK.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The National Statistician has made a commitment to the continued alignment between UK official statistics and international standards, emphasising the importance of comparability for users of statistics, both over time and internationally.
Because the UK’s statistics would continue to meet international best practice, where appropriate this would allow for continued comparability with statistics produced under the European framework (much of which is based on international standards, set by bodies such as the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).
The emphasis on continuity and comparability means the UK’s decision to leave the EU is not expected to have any immediate impact on the suite of UK official statistics, including those relevant to public service provision and planning.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 11 March (HL13966), of which part of the internal discussions on avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is it not in the public interest to disclose details; and what assessment they have made of the relationship between any decision not to disclose those details and the Prime Minister having identified the issue as that which prevents a deal being agreed with the EU on Brexit.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 13 March we published details of our plans to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland in a no deal scenario. We have confirmed a temporary, unilateral approach to checks, processes and tariffs to do all we can to achieve this. The UK Government would not introduce any new checks or controls on goods crossing from Ireland to Northern Ireland, including any new customs declarations. The UK temporary tariff regime would therefore not apply to goods crossing from Ireland into Northern Ireland.
As these are unilateral measures, they only mitigate the impacts from exit that are within the UK Government’s control. These measures do not set out the position in respect of tariffs or processes to be applied to goods moving from Northern Ireland to Ireland. We also recognise that there challenges and risks for maintaining control of our borders and for the competitiveness of businesses in Northern Ireland. That is why we are clear that this approach would be strictly temporary.
A negotiated settlement is the only means of sustainably guaranteeing no hard border and protecting businesses in Northern Ireland. In a no deal scenario, we are therefore committed to entering into discussions urgently with the European Commission and the Irish Government to jointly agree long-term measures to avoid a hard border.
Full guidance on the no deal Northern Ireland policy can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-exit-avoiding-a-hard-border-in-northern-ireland-in-a-no-deal-scenario.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 13 March (HL13776), how they will ensure that both Houses of Parliament and their relevant select committees are given timely information about the progress and details of the evaluation of "alternative arrangements" and "technologies"; and whether they will publish the joint work stream agreed with the EU.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and EU have agreed to consider a joint work stream to develop alternative arrangements, including the use of technology, to ensure the absence of a hard border, and this work will form an important strand of the next phase of negotiations. Our aim is to ensure that, even if the full future relationship is not in place by the end of the implementation period, the backstop is not needed, because we will have a set of alternative arrangements ready to go. We have secured a legally binding commitment that both sides will aim to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020 - and that they do not need to replicate the backstop in any respect.
The Government is doing everything we sensibly can to provide for ongoing scrutiny through the negotiating process. We will continue to report regularly to select committees in person and by responding fully to inquiries and reports.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 18 February (HL13276), what are the "facilitative arrangements and technologies" that will form part of the "alternative arrangements to replace the backstop" in the negotiations currently being undertaken with the EU.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK and EU have agreed to consider a joint work stream to develop alternative arrangements, including the use of technology, to ensure the absence of a hard border, and this work will form an important strand of the next phase of negotiations. Our aim is to ensure that, even if the full future relationship is not in place by the end of the implementation period, the backstop is not needed, because we will have a set of alternative arrangements ready to go. We have secured a legally binding commitment that both sides will aim to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by December 2020 - and that they do not need to replicate the backstop in any respect.
Last week, the Government published a Written Ministerial Statement noting that joint UK-EU work on alternative arrangements will be an important strand of the next phase of negotiations. In anticipation of this, and to ensure that the UK is ready to move at pace in the next phase, the Government is putting in place the UK’s arrangements to support this work, with a team drawing in all the relevant departments including DExEU, HMT, HMRC, BEIS, DEFRA, Home Office, and the NIO. This will report directly to the UK’s negotiating team.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish details of any contracts they have signed relating to technological solutions to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland; and whether any of those contracts include matters beyond proofs of concept.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has been in discussions with technology companies for many months. While no contracts have yet been signed, in the event of doing so we will follow the usual process.
Parliament has been clear in what is needed to unite behind a Withdrawal Agreement: namely, legally binding changes to the backstop. The Prime Minister has set out three ways in which legally binding changes to the backstop could be achieved. First, the backstop could be replaced with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. Secondly, there could be a legally binding time limit to the existing backstop, or thirdly, there could be a legally binding unilateral exit clause to that backstop.
The Prime Minister and President Juncker agreed that our teams should hold further talks to find a way forward, both will meet again before the end of February to take stock of those discussions.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 13 February (HL13277), what assessment they have made of the potential technological solutions for ensuring no hard border of the island of Ireland following the UK's departure from the EU; and whether they will publish details of any such assessment.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Prime Minister in her 5 February speech in Belfast reaffirmed the UK Government commitment to delivering a Brexit that ensures no return to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, including any physical infrastructure or related checks and controls. While technology could play a part in this, and alternative arrangements are being looked at, these must be ones that can be made to work for the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to tariffs on imports and exports across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are committed to upholding the Belfast Agreement and will do everything in our power to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We recognise that we would need to take forward discussions with the Irish Government and the Commission in the event of a no deal on the best way to avoid a hard border.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government which technological solutions are currently under consideration, in the absence of a concluded EU withdrawal agreement, to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Political Declaration is clear that the UK and EU should work together and exchange information on facilitative arrangements and technologies. This sits alongside the UK and the EU’s existing commitment to developing alternative arrangements to replace the backstop. The Government plans to continue discussion with members from around the House and will finalise proposals to go back to the EU with.