Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the role of the Market Access team is within his Department.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Market Access and Budget Directorate works closely with partners across Whitehall to facilitate and coordinate policy development on the UK's future economic partnership after we leave the EU.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2017 to Question 118320, for what reasons there was no reference in the answer to conducting impact assessments of the effect on small businesses of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
An Impact Assessment is typically an appraisal of costs and benefits of a policy intervention, published alongside new legislation or regulations. For example, the Government published an Impact Assessment alongside the EU (Withdrawal) Bill. We will continue publishing Impact Assessments to accompany legislation, where appropriate.
In the Answer of 22 December 2017, I highlighted the Government’s extensive engagement with small and medium sized businesses throughout the UK. For instance, through speaking regularly to the Federation for Small Businesses, including on the Business Advisory Group. We also emphasised the work of the SME Advisory Board.
The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across government, is undertaking a wide range of analysis to support our negotiations, covering the entirety of the UK economy, including small businesses. We will continue to this analysis, while being mindful of our specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would expose our negotiating position.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessments have been made by the Market Access team in his Department on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on different sectors of the UK economy.
Answered by Robin Walker
We are undertaking a wide range of analysis looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. The sectoral reports are a part of that. They are not exhaustive, nor are they the final say on any of these issues. The Government is examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.
However, Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Market Access team in his Department has carried out sectoral impact studies on the effect on the economy of the UK leaving the EU, in addition to the studies released by his Department on 27 November 2017.
Answered by Robin Walker
We are undertaking a wide range of analysis looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. The sectoral reports are a part of that. They are not exhaustive, nor are they the final say on any of these issues. The Government is examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.
However, Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 118837, for what reasons no reference was made to market access assessments; and whether such assessments have been conducted.
Answered by Robin Walker
We are undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. The Government is examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of businesses and industry bodies in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.
Our overall analytical programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and is continuously updated. We have conducted a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis looking at the implications of EU Exit on the domestic economy. However, these are not in form of discrete market access assessments.
The sector reports recently shared with Members and Peers - which, among other things, contain factual information describing each sector, and a summary of sector views of UK withdrawal - form part of this work.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department intends to conduct an impact assessment of the effect on small businesses of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Department for Exiting the European Union, working with officials across Government, is carrying out a programme of rigorous and extensive analytical work that will contribute to our exit negotiations with the EU, to define our future partnership with the EU, and to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.
This includes engaging extensively with the millions of small and medium sized businesses throughout Britain who make an enormous contribution to our country. The Government continues to speak widely and regularly with these businesses and representative bodies such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in order to secure the best possible deal for the United Kingdom.
In July, the FSB hosted a small business roundtable attended by Government Ministers. The FSB are also regularly invited to the Business Advisory Group, a forum of business representative organisations who regularly meet with senior Cabinet Ministers, including DExEU Secretary of State David Davis, to highlight their concerns regarding EU exit. Most recently, on 7 December I attended a discussion of the SME Advisory Board, hosted by my colleague Margot James in the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to discuss the effect of our exit on small and medium sized businesses.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has conducted market access assessments in respect of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
We are undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU.
The Government is examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of businesses and industry bodies in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment his Department has made of which EU assets the UK will be able to benefit from the use of or have recourse to during the period when the UK is contributing to the EU budget but is no longer an EU member state; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government has agreed a number of important principles with the EU that will apply to how we arrive at valuations in due course. This includes taking into account all relevant assets.
All assets and liabilities have been analysed in detail and accounted for in the overall settlement. The scope of the settlement is laid out in the Joint Report on progress during phase 1 of the negotiations.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to support small businesses that export time-sensitive perishable goods (a) before and (b) after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government is committed to the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for small businesses. We continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy, including the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) , in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.
Furthermore, our future partnership paper Future customs arrangements published in August 2017 sets out our aspirations for the UK’s future customs arrangements. The paper set out key customs issues that form part of the UK Government’s approach to the new partnership with the EU. This reflects the deep engagement the Government has sought from external parties with expertise on each policy area, and draws on the very extensive work undertaken across Government since last year’s referendum.
As we have said before, we recognise that businesses and people will need time to adjust, and to allow new systems to be put in place. That’s why we are proposing a strictly time-limited implementation period, based on the existing structure of EU rules and regulations, during which the UK and the EU would continue to have access to one another’s markets on current terms.
The UK government believes it is in the interests of both parties to achieve the best possible outcome and the strongest possible partnership for the future - one that works for the UK and for the EU.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the legal status of retained EU law under the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will be; and whether it will be liable to judicial review.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
Retained EU law includes both preserved domestic legislation and converted direct EU legislation. The latter was not made by UK legislators and will operate in a different way to both primary and secondary legislation. It would therefore not be appropriate to assign a single status to this legislation for all purposes.
Preserved domestic legislation will continue to hold the same status as it does currently (i.e. primary or secondary). Converted EU legislation will not automatically have primary or secondary status. Instead, the Bill sets out the status of this legislation for specified purposes in a number of places. For example, for the purposes of the Human Rights Act, it will be treated as primary legislation. Further regulations may be made under the Bill for the purpose of status under other statutes.
Existing domestic legislation will remain amenable to judicial review as at present. In general (and subject to any further regulations made under the Bill), it will not be possible to challenge the validity of converted EU legislation. To do otherwise would raise uncertainties and practical difficulties as the EU instruments being converted were not made by UK Ministers but by EU institutions.