Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has sought legal advice on (a) holding a second referendum on EU membership and (b) reversing Article 50.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government are maintaining the general practice of successive Governments not to comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received.
As a matter of firm policy we will not revoke Article 50 or hold a second referendum. A clear majority of the electorate voted to leave the EU and we must respect both the will of the British people, and the democratic process which delivered this result.
The British people gave a clear instruction to leave, and we are delivering on that instruction.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans to employ any national security experts in his Department.
Answered by Robin Walker
The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are now under consideration but we will have the right resources in place, including national security experts if appropriate.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many new civil servants he plans to employ in his Department.
Answered by David Jones
The new Department for Exiting the European Union will be made up of staff from various departments across Government, including from the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU. The department has already started drawing together expertise from a wide range of departments where there is specific relevant knowledge. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are now being considered – the department now has over 180 staff.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what budget has been allocated to his Department for all future years.
Answered by Robin Walker
The new Department for Exiting the European Union is equipping itself to oversee negotiations to leave the EU and establish the future relationship between the UK and EU. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are now under consideration.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) the Norwegian, (b) the Swiss, (c) the Canadian and (d) other models for a new form of economic relationship with the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
At every step of our negotiations to leave the European Union we want to secure the best deal for Britain and for the British people. We won’t be following any other nation’s model – the position we build outside the EU will be unique to Britain.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he plans to take to ensure cross-party input at each stage of formulating national goals and strategy in negotiating the UK's exit from the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 July to Question 43465. The Department for Exiting the EU will lead the UK’s negotiations to leave the European Union and establish the future relationship between the EU and the UK, working closely with the UK Parliament, devolved administrations, and a wide range of other interested parties. Consultation with opposition parties will be an important part of this process.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of how the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969 applies to EU citizens currently living in the UK.
Answered by David Jones
Article 70 of the Vienna Convention applies to States only. It does not create rights for individuals. Nevertheless, we would expect to deal with the rights of UK citizens living in other EU member states and the rights of EU nationals already living in the UK as part of the UK’s exit negotiations.
At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people. The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that wouldn’t be possible is if British citizens’ rights in other EU member states were not protected in return.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of how the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969 applies in relation to UK citizens currently living in other EU countries.
Answered by David Jones
Article 70 of the Vienna Convention applies to States only. It does not create rights for individuals. Nevertheless, we would expect to deal with the rights of UK citizens living in other EU member states and the rights of EU nationals already living in the UK as part of the UK’s exit negotiations.
At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people. The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that wouldn’t be possible is if British citizens’ rights in other EU member states were not protected in return.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to recruit external experts to facilitate negotiations with the EU on the UK exit from the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
We will have the right resources in place so we can secure the best possible outcome for the UK as a whole, and will be taking advice from a variety of sources as we consider options, including on staffing and skill mix, for the new department.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his policy is on the role Parliament will have in negotiations related to the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by David Davis
The Department for Exiting the EU will work closely with Parliament on what the approach to negotiations should be. While legally there is no obligation to consult Parliament on triggering Article 50, it will clearly have an important role in making sure that we find the best way forward.