Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK producers and manufacturers will be able to disregard EU laws and rules in the production and manufacture of goods and products for (1) the Northern Ireland market, and (2) the Great Britain market, under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As we said explicitly in the Government's Command Paper on the Windsor Framework, in order to maintain maximum market access for Northern Ireland traders, those EU rules which do apply under the Windsor Framework apply to goods produced in Northern Ireland. But this reflects what we have heard time and again is the balance businesses want in order to prosper:
· Companies producing for their most important market in Great Britain will retain completely unfettered access. That means a permanent guarantee of being able to place goods on the UK market in all scenarios.
· There are many areas of goods rules within the scope of the old Protocol where no international or EU standards apply - covering a quarter of Northern Ireland manufacturers. In those cases UK national rules set the standards for goods on the market in Northern Ireland.
· Elsewhere in manufacturing, international standards apply in practice. Of the nearly 3,600 international goods standards in place, there are differences between the UK and EU in only 11 of them (0.3 percent of standards overall). These reflect minor differences in practice, where the UK has applied higher standards (which Northern Ireland traders can still choose to meet).
· In agrifood, the rules in place reflect longstanding arrangements, protecting the integrated supply chains on which many industries rely. But through this agreement they now do so within a dual regime - with retail trade into Northern Ireland able to use UK food safety standards and flow smoothly; Northern Ireland farmers outside of the Common Agricultural Policy; and the Northern Ireland Executive given the flexibility to decide its own approach locally on agricultural subsidies.
· This dual regime is also consistent with existing devolution arrangements and the market access principles in the UK Internal Market Act, which mean it is entirely possible constitutionally to have different standards across the UK.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there will be any change in the text of (1) the Withdrawal Agreement, or (2) the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, on the description of Great Britain as a “third country” for certain purposes relating to the movement of goods and agri-food products to Northern Ireland, as a result of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Windsor Framework delivers a fundamental new framework which ensures the smooth flow of internal UK trade and safeguards Northern Ireland's place in our Union. The legal texts published online set out how this will be delivered.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what statutory instruments will be required to implement the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The specific instruments taken forward to give effect to the Windsor Framework domestically will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which provisions of (1) Articles 5–10, and (2) Annex 2, of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland will be removed as a result of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Windsor Framework legal texts set out how it operates to disapply swathes of EU rules for internal UK trade, to ensure that UK food and drink safety rules apply for internal UK agrifood retail trade; to remove burdensome customs bureaucracy; to ensure it is UK authorities who licence drugs for the whole UK; to enable VAT and excise changes to be made UK-wide; and to give effect to the Stormont Brake which provides a key new democratic safeguard.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which EU laws will remain in force in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework, which would otherwise be subject to removal under the provisions of the Retained EU Law Bill.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government is committed to taking the necessary steps to uphold the UK's international obligations, including the Withdrawal Agreement and the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the requirements of the proposed EU Entry/Exit System (EES) which will be placed on (1) UK citizens, (2) Irish citizens, (3) EU citizens who are not Irish, and (4) non-EU citizens who wish to travel from Northern Ireland to the Irish Republic.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The European Commission is developing the European Entry/Exit System (EES), an automated IT system for registering all third country nationals, including UK citizens, each time they travel to and from the Schengen Area. As the Republic of Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area, EES will not apply to travel between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what system is in place to report on the potential of (1) primary, and (2) secondary, legislation, to create regulatory divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in areas where the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland applies.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Explanatory notes accompanying all Government Bills, and explanatory memoranda accompanying all secondary legislation, should set out any potential implications that the legislation may have on regulatory divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in areas where the Protocol applies. Any operational differences that materialise as a result of legislative changes are detailed in the relevant gov.uk guidance. We work with other Government departments to ensure that explanatory notes and memoranda provide clear information.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospect for release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe from prison in Iran.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Iran's decision to proceed with these baseless charges against Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is an appalling continuation of the cruel ordeal she is going through. Instead of threatening to return Nazanin to prison Iran must release her permanently so she can return home. The Foreign Secretary raised her case, and the cases of Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz, with Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian on 22 September and 8 November. We continue to engage with Iran at the most senior levels and our Ambassador in Tehran continues to regularly raise our detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ministers hold regular meetings with officials to direct activity across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office aimed at securing her release.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of Iran regarding the case of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign Secretary raised her case, and the cases of Anoosheh Ashoori and Morad Tahbaz, with Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian on 22 September and 8 November. The Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa met with Deputy Foreign Minister Bagheri Kani on 11 November. We continue to engage with Iran at the most senior levels and our Ambassador in Tehran continues to raise regularly our detainees with the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with NATO partners about China's policy towards Taiwan.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Her Majesty's Government considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue. The UK Government is in regular contact with like-minded partners on our shared priorities.