Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what upgrades and enhancements they have made to (1) staffing, and (2) facilities, at embassies in the EU27 nations since the EU referendum.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has created approximately 550 EU Exit roles in the UK and overseas. We have used these roles to strengthen our diplomatic network in the UK and across Europe so that we are better able to represent and promote British interests and engage with our European partners in support of a successful EU Exit. In addition, other staff are also engaged on EU Exit planning as part of their wider responsibilities. We continue to keep staffing levels under constant review to ensure that they are appropriate to deliver the Government's objectives.
We undertake regular reviews of our estate portfolio around the world. This is a continuing process to ensure the estate is fit for purpose and offers the best value for money in delivering Her Majesty's Government objectives. No major estates projects were undertaken because of the result of the referendum. A number of Posts have carried out small changes to their office layouts as well as routine maintenance.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the advice of the government of Sweden to its citizens to keep cash on hand against the possibility of a hacking attack on the banking system; and whether they are considering giving similar advice to UK citizens.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Government has not provided similar advice to UK citizens. HM Treasury works closely with the other Financial Authorities, Intelligence Agencies and Law Enforcement to ensure that the system is robust to a wide range of operational risks, including cyber. The Financial Authorities have well-established mechanisms to respond to operational disruption were it to occur.
Asked by: Lord Radice (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 differential impact of (1) leaving the EU without a deal, and (2) staying in the EU, over the next 10 years.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The 2016 referendum delivered a clear instruction to withdraw from the European Union, which the Government is committed to implementing. The Government remains focused on ensuring a smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU with a deal as soon as possible.
In November 2018, the Government delivered on its commitment to provide appropriate analysis to Parliament with a robust, objective assessment of how exiting the EU may affect the economy of the UK in the long run (circa 15 years). The analysis considers a range of scenarios, including a no deal scenario. All scenarios are compared to today’s arrangements, but this is not a specific projection of future membership of the EU; the future direction of EU policy is uncertain, and could have both positive and negative impacts on the UK economy. Whilst all economic modelling is inherently uncertain, the analysis shows that compared to today’s arrangements, GDP in the modelled no deal scenario is estimated to be between 6.3% and 9% lower in the long run.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have spent on preparations for a no-deal Brexit.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Additional EU Exit funding, allocated by HM Treasury to departments and the Devolved Administrations, covers all scenarios. ‘No deal’ spending cannot readily be separated from ‘deal’ spending given significant overlap in plans in many cases. HM Treasury has since 2016 allocated over £4.2 billion of funding, for all exit scenarios.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have spent on recruitment consultants in (1) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (2) the Department for Exiting the European Union, and (3) the Department for International Trade, since 23 June 2016; and what additional future liabilities, including success or retention bonuses, have been incurred as a result of engaging those recruitment consultants.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The amount spent on recruitment consultants for the following departments since 23rd June 2016 can be found in the table below:
Department | Amount spent of recruitment consultants |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) | £87,530.80* |
Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) | £0.00 |
Department for International Trade (DIT) | £300,175.00* |
*Excludes VAT.
No additional future liabilities, including success or retention bonuses, have been incurred as a result of engaging recruitment consultants for these departments.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional skills training they plan to replace any skills lost to the UK economy through any departure of nationals from other EU countries due to Brexit.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Industrial Strategy White Paper sets out a long-term plan to boost productivity with investment in the skills, industries and infrastructure of the future. This includes increased investment in maths, digital and technical education to address the shortage of science, technology, engineering and maths skills and creating a National Retraining Scheme that will support people to reskill. A summary of the government’s proposals for delivering a world-class technical education is attached from the Industrial Strategy White Paper.
We will be delivering on our commitment to create three million apprenticeships by 2020, and drive up the quality of apprenticeships to make sure they provide the skills that employers need.
The department is reforming the technical education system to be more responsive to the needs of employers. Our reforms will also offer employers the opportunity to develop the skilled labour they require to run their business and increase productivity.
From September 2020, we are introducing T levels to develop talent within the UK, starting with construction, education and childcare and digital. T levels are an integral part of our wider reforms to technical education to address skills gaps in our economy, including skills which we have previously relied on EU nationals for.
A key component of these reforms is the Skills Advisory Panel programme, which has recently been launched and will be rolled out across England. The programme will work with Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to help match skills provision with employer demand at a local level. The programme will also provide a greater understanding of regional, sectoral and national skills needs.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which UK lorry drivers will be subject to third country permit restrictions applied by the remaining 27 EU member states following Brexit; and in which EU member states such restrictions would apply.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government’s overall aim is to seek a liberalised access for commercial haulage through the negotiations with the EU. The arrangements that apply to UK hauliers once the UK leaves the European Union will depend on the withdrawal deal we negotiate. The Government has introduced the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Bill, to provide a flexible framework for any system that may be is needed as part of our deal with the EU. We are confident that any such arrangement will cover all EU countries.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to provide any additional help to any regions that experience negative economic impacts due to Brexit.
Answered by Lord Bates
The government has committed to create a United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund following Brexit. The fund will support regions across the UK to achieve sustainable, inclusive growth, based on our modern industrial strategy. Further details on the fund will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the decrease in net EU migration to the UK as a result of Brexit, if any.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
As at 22 February 2018, net EU migration stood at 90,000 for the year ending September 2017. The comparable figure for the year ending June 2016 is 189,000.
Net migration statistics are published by the office for National Statistics and can be found at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration
Asked by: Lord Radice (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of nationals of other EU states who will leave the UK between now and the end of the Brexit transition period; and what are the principal skills categories expected to be affected by their departure, if any.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to gather evidence on patterns of EU migration and the role of migration in the wider economy, ahead of our exit from the EU. Their independent advice will inform our decisions about future immigration arrangements.
Additionally, the Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. Our overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and is continuously updated. The Government is examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders.