Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether businesses which have planned and stockpiled for Brexit twice will be reimbursed for extra costs incurred, if there is no Brexit on 31 October.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK was represented at the EU28 meeting on cyber security standards on 25 June.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On this occasion, the UK was not invited, the government is seeking clarification.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Commission's position on renegotiating the Irish backstop.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has been consistently clear in its intention to leave the EU in an orderly way on the basis of a negotiated agreement, and to do so in a way that ensures no hard border on the island of Ireland on a permanent basis.
The European Commission acts in negotiations in accordance with the position taken by the European Council, whose last expressed position on renegotiation of the Withdrawal Agreement is set out in the April 10 European Council Conclusions.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to re-introduce duty free trade with the EU after Brexit.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It remains the government’s priority to agree a deal with the European Union, but as the Prime Minister has said it will be for her successor to find a way forward on EU exit.
The Political Declaration sets out the UK’s and EU’s ambition to agree a future economic partnership which ensures no tariffs, fees, charges of quantitative restrictions across all sectors ensuring tariff free trade with the EU after Brexit.
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the UK would implement a temporary tariff regime (published on 13 March). This would apply for up to 12 months while a full consultation, and review on a permanent approach, is undertaken.
The link below sets out the Temporary Tariff Regime in detail:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/temporary-tariff-regime-for-no-deal-brexit-published
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to make an agreement to safeguard the rights of UK citizens living in the EU after Brexit.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
From the very beginning the Prime Minister has been clear that safeguarding the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and UK nationals living in the EU was her first priority for negotiations.
The agreement reached and set out in the Withdrawal Agreement text will provide UK nationals with certainty about their rights going forward and allow UK nationals to continue to live, work and study in the EU. They will continue to be able to access benefits and services on the same basis after we exit the EU as they do now, subject to any future domestic policy changes which apply to UK nationals.
In a no deal, all Member States have now made commitments to protect the rights of UK nationals in the EU and have guaranteed that UK nationals legally resident by exit day will be able to stay. UK nationals can find details of each system on the FCO “living in guides” on gov.uk.
On 27 February the House supported an amendment tabled by Alberto Costa MP to seek a joint UK-EU commitment to adopt Part II of the Withdrawal Agreement whatever the outcome of negotiations. The Government has since written to Michel Barnier twice to propose a ‘joint UK-EU commitment to adopt Part II of the Withdrawal Agreement whatever the outcome of negotiations’.
Michel Barnier has been very clear that the Withdrawal Agreement is the best way to protect the rights of citizens. The Government is now carefully considering our response and will continue working towards safeguarding the rights of UK nationals in the EU and EU citizens in the UK in all scenarios.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of a Brexit scenario where the UK stays in a customs union with the EU.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The negotiated Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration outline the UK and EU’s shared commitment to a free trade area for goods with no tariffs, quotas or rules of origin requirements. We are not seeking membership of the Single Market, or Customs Union, after we leave the EU, but a bold and ambitious economic partnership.
The government has 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, sectors, nations and regions in the long run. The analysis considers four analytical scenarios and compares them to today’s arrangements: the UK position set out in the July 2018 White Paper, a hypothetical FTA, an EEA-type relationship and a no deal scenario.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the possibility that the UK may lose its right to veto EU proposals in the event of a further delay to Brexit.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is no conditionality attached to the Article 50 extension beyond existing Treaty obligations. The Prime Minister set out in her statement to the House of Commons on 11 April that the 10 April European Council (Article 50) conclusions are clear that during an extension the UK will continue to hold full membership rights, as well as be bound by its obligations.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to prioritise imports of medicine in their post-Brexit trading arrangements, in the event of a no-deal scenario.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
DHSC are working closely with life sciences industry and the NHS to make detailed plans to ensure continued access to medicines and devices in all scenarios.
We are working with industry to reroute supplies that make use of freight capacity acquired by Government. Medicines and medical products will be prioritised within this additional capacity to ensure that the flow of all these products will continue unimpeded after 29 March 2019. In addition, we are working with pharmaceutical companies to ensure that there is a minimum of six weeks additional supply of medicines in the UK, over and above existing business-as-usual buffer stocks.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there may be a decline in trade between the UK and Germany in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In November, the Government published analysis of how exiting the EU may affect the UK economy in the long run, including in a no deal scenario. This covers an assessment of changes in UK-EU trading patterns rather than trade with specific countries. The analysis shows that new trade barriers between the UK and EU in the event of a no deal could lower UK-EU trade volumes by approximately 30 percentage points in the long run compared to the modelled White Paper scenario.
This Government does not want or expect a ‘no deal’ scenario. We want to deliver an orderly Brexit, with a deal, that protects our union, gives us control of our borders, laws and money, and means that we have an independent trade policy. We are committed to achieving an ambitious and unprecedented trading partnership with the EU.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact that a no-deal Brexit could have on (1) the UK digital technology and robotics industry, and (2) operations at UK ports.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This government has been clear that we do not want or expect a ‘no deal’ scenario. Delivering the settlement negotiated with the EU remains our top priority and is the best way of avoiding a no deal scenario. This has not changed.
As part of contingency planning, Government has been discussing the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU with key stakeholders in the UK digital technology and robotics industry and at key border locations including ports. As a result, a ‘Partnership Pack’ has been issued to provide a guide to processes and procedures that are likely to apply to cross-border activity between the UK and the EU in a no deal scenario.