Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the level of income from services exports after the UK leaves the EU compared with before.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Political Declaration outlines the EU and the UK’s commitment to ambitious arrangements for services and investment that go well beyond WTO commitments, and build on recent EU Free Trade Agreements, alongside new arrangements on financial services.
On 28 November the Government published long-term economic analysis of the relative impacts of different trading relationships in the long term, after the UK’s new relationship with the EU comes into effect. The analysis does not provide a sector-level breakdown of trade volumes impacts. The analysis estimates that, in the long run, UK exports are broadly unchanged in a modelled White Paper scenario compared to today’s arrangements. This equates to 12 percentage points higher than what would be expected in the modelled no deal scenario.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent estimate she has made of length of time required to negotiate a final status agreement with the EU.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We stand ready to begin negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU immediately after exit. The Withdrawal Agreement will ensure a transition to a smooth and orderly future relationship.
Both the UK and the EU are committed to ensuring that the necessary arrangements for our future partnership come into force by the end of 2020, as set out in the joint UK-EU Political Declaration of 22nd November 2018.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the proposals in the 12 July 2018 White Paper on EU-UK relations remain Government policy.
Answered by Robin Walker
The deal that the UK and EU have agreed builds upon the Government’s White Paper of 12 July 2018. As the Prime Minister has said, this is a deal that fulfils the wishes of the British people as expressed in the 2016 referendum, protects jobs and the Union, and gives citizens and businesses certainty.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government plans to negotiate the facilitated customs arrangement referred to in its July 2018 White Paper entitled The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Answered by Robin Walker
We have agreed with the EU that we will negotiate an ambitious customs arrangement, with no tariffs, fees, charges, or quotas on trade, that will make use of all available facilitative arrangements and technologies. We have also agreed that there is a relationship between the UK’s commitments and checks and controls required between the UK and EU, which may lead to a spectrum of outcomes, but that both the UK and EU wish to be as ambitious as possible in establishing a future partnership. Both the UK and EU are clear that whatever is agreed in the future partnership must recognise the development of an independent UK trade policy beyond our economic partnership with the EU.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government plans to negotiate a common rulebook on goods with the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Political Declaration sets out the terms of an ambitious future trading relationship between the UK and the EU, including deep regulatory and customs cooperation.
Within this context the UK may choose to align with the EU’s rules in relevant areas for goods. The application of checks and controls at the border would depend on the UK’s commitments, including in relation to the level of alignment.
This balance will need to be agreed during the course of the future negotiations. Both sides have been clear that they wish to be as ambitious as possible. As the White Paper sets out, once we have left the EU the UK Parliament will legislate for any rules applied in the UK.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Wycombe has held meetings with Shanker Singham in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robin Walker
Details of ministerial meetings are published in the Department's Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which meetings the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of his Department held with representatives of the Legatum Institute in the last six months.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
Ministers from across Government are speaking with stakeholders from a variety of sectors, to understand their concerns and priorities regarding our EU exit. As part of this process, we have engaged with a range of think tanks.
Details of Ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are publicly available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what guidance has been issued to Ministers of his Department on the use of private email accounts and WhatsApp messaging to engage with outside organisations on issues relating to their ministerial responsibilities.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
Upon joining the Department, Ministers for the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) are provided with a departmental email account and mobile phone, which they may use for correspondence and calls relating to their ministerial duties.
DExEU Ministers are briefed by both the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on a range of topics, including the correct use of departmental IT assets.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has recently sought advice from the intelligence and security services about ministerial contacts with the Legatum Institute.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
For obvious reasons, we can neither confirm nor deny whether we have sought any advice from the intelligence and security services regarding any institution.