Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated total number of items in the UK which fall within the Ivory Bill's definition of pre-1947 items with low ivory content.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
During the consultation on our ivory ban, we sought evidence from the antiques trade and others, including on the nature and number of items in the UK that are made of or contain ivory. However, the data available is limited and we are therefore unable to specify how many items fall under this exemption.
However, once the ban is in force, we will be publishing headline data on the number of exemption certificates that have been issued for each category of exemption.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the continuation after Brexit of the Falkland Islands' current tariff-free access to EU markets for meat and fish products.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has always been clear that we are committed to engaging the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories as we exit the EU, to ensure that their interests and priorities are properly taken into account.
We are seeking a bold and ambitious economic partnership with the EU and want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, so that British companies, including Falkland Islands companies, have the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets.
DExEU Minister of State Robin Walker most recently met Hon. Teslyn Barkman, the Falklands Legislative Assembly Member leading on Exit issues, at the 4th Joint Ministerial Council Overseas Territories EU Negotiations held on the 14th of June. Through discussions in this forum, supported by official level contact, the Government understands the importance to the economic wellbeing of the Falklands Islands of their access to the EU market for fish and meat.
We also welcome the substantive input we have received from the Falkland Islands’ Government as the UK prepares to exit the EU.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have a target date for the introduction of electronic licences for the export of works of art; and if not, when they anticipate they will announce a target date.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The feasibility of electronic licensing for the export of cultural objects is under active consideration by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England. The Department recognises the potential benefits of an electronic system as a means of simplifying the export licensing system and speeding up processes at the border. We are working with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Border Force, and organisations in the arts and museums sectors who export cultural objects, to understand what systems may need to be maintained or introduced by the end of the EU exit implementation period. We will set a target timeframe for introducing electronic licenses pending further investigation and decisions on the development and implementation options.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made on the effect on tax revenues of a one per cent (1) increase, and (2) decrease, in GNP.
Answered by Lord Bates
The effect of changes in total economic output on tax revenues will depend upon the composition of any aggregate change, since the underlying tax bases (earnings, profits, consumption and so on) will be affected in different ways by different components of total output. For this reason, the Government does not hold a single estimate of the effects that changes to GNP (Gross National Product) would have on tax revenues.
The Office for Budget Responsibility publishes tax and spending ready reckoners. These ready reckoners show how changes to components of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) would affect tax receipts, alongside the effects of other economic variables. For example, a one percent increase in employment in 2018-19 is expected to increase tax revenues by £2.7bn in that year.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 29 March 2017 (HL Deb, col 611), what is their definition of "frictionless trade".
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are seeking a bold and ambitious economic partnership that is of greater scope and ambition than any such existing agreement.
We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, as well as being able to negotiate our own trade agreements around the world. That means, for goods, we want a customs trading relationship and agreement on non-tariff barriers that enables as frictionless trade as possible between the UK and the EU.
With regards to services trade, we will be seeking the broadest ever agreement that limits the number of barriers that could prevent UK firms from setting up in the EU and vice versa and avoids discrimination of each other's service providers. We also want to agree an appropriate labour mobility framework that enables UK and EU businesses and self-employed professionals to travel in order to provide services to clients in person.
We want to ensure that UK companies have the maximum possible freedom to trade with and operate within European markets – and to let European businesses do the same in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of the Heritage Lottery Fund contributing to the cost of Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is a grant giving body, and distributes the heritage share of the National Lottery Fund for good causes to successful applicants.
Any application to support the restoration of the Palace of Westminster would need to be considered alongside the other applications made to HLF’s programmes.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are proposing to seek an exemption from the provisions of the proposed EU Regulation on the import of cultural goods in respect of domestic personal effects of those proposing to live and work in the EU post-Brexit.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The proposed EU Regulation on the import of cultural goods is currently under negotiation with the EU. The UK’s future adherence to EU Regulations, will be subject to exit negotiations.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have ruled out including stops in Cumbria for the proposed HS2 rail line.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
Service assumptions for HS2 are still being developed, and exact timetables will be developed before HS2 operational services commence. We have not ruled out stops in Cumbria.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why only 530 UK companies have Authorised Economic Operator Status, compared to 6,000 in Germany, 1,500 in Holland, and 1,400 in France; and what steps they are taking to increase that number.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status is an internationally recognised quality mark indicating that a trader’s role in the international supply chain is secure, and that their customs controls and procedures are efficient and compliant. AEO status is not mandatory for businesses, but it gives quicker access to certain simplified customs procedures and in some cases the right to ‘fast-track’ shipments through some customs and safety and security procedures.
AEO status was introduced across the EU in 2008. Some EU countries decided to make AEO status mandatory – both to maintain a current customs authorisation and to apply for a wider range of customs authorisations. This decision is likely to have increased interest in obtaining AEO status in those countries. In the UK we chose not to mandate the link between customs authorisations and AEO status, which allowed UK businesses to continue to enjoy current facilitations and, when appropriate, apply for new customs authorisations, without having to undergo the sometimes lengthy AEO authorisation process. For those UK businesses who choose and are eligible to obtain AEO status additional facilitations and benefits are available.
The UK Government is currently exploring options to simplify customs procedures, including opportunities to streamline the AEO authorisation process and provide additional benefits.
Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what factors underlie their intention to take the UK outside the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
The people voted in the referendum to leave the European Union. This is why the Prime Minister has been clear that we intend to bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the United Kingdom.
Leaving the European Union will mean that our laws will be made in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, and those laws will be interpreted by judges not in Luxembourg, but in courts across this country.