Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
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 effect of the UK leaving the EU on people with disabilities.
Answered by Robin Walker
During the passage of the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 in the Commons the Government committed to providing a statement about the impact of all EU exit bills on equalities legislation (which includes provisions on disability as a protected characteristic). The Government’s commitment requires the relevant Minister to make and publish a statement for each EU exit bill indicating:
whether the bill amends, repeals or revokes any part of the Equality Acts 2006 or 2010 or any secondary legislation made under those Acts and, if it does make such changes, an explanation of the effect of each change; and
that in relation to the policy which is given effect by the Bill, the relevant Minister “has had due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010.”
that the Government will be making such a statement in respect of the WAB (which will be set out in the Explanatory Notes accompanying the Bill on its introduction); and this analysis has been carried out to inform decision-making on the Withdrawal Agreement and as preparation for the equality statement.
The UK Government is committed to ensuring that there is no regression in equalities as we leave the EU. The Equality Act 2010 sets out wide-ranging equalities protections, and incorporates virtually all existing EU equalities law and Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) case law. In some areas, domestic legislation goes further than EU requirements - for example the public sector equality duty, which places a duty on public authorities to consider how their policies or decisions would affect people who are protected under the Equality Act. There are also domestic requirements that ensure non-discrimination in access to goods and services on grounds of disability.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he is taking as part of his negotiations with the EU to ensure that the effects of leaving the EU are felt equally by those living in the north and the south.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government has been clear that we negotiate for every nation and region of the United Kingdom - our goal is to secure a deal that works for all parts of the country.
To support this, Ministers from across Government have carried out extensive engagement on EU exit - with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK, and with civil society groups including consumer bodies, trade unions, charities and academia.
The Government is also committed to positive and productive engagement with all local government within the UK, and will continue to work closely with them to understand the implications of and opportunities arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the Government's proposed trade deal with the EU on the number of exports from Yorkshire after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. This analysis helps define our future partnership with the EU, and informs our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would reveal our negotiating position and so the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work.
The Government is committed to positive and productive engagement with local governments across the UK, and will continue to work closely with them to understand the implications of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Ministers from across Government have also carried out extensive engagement on EU exit with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK, including those headquartered in Yorkshire.
The FCA combined with a common rulebook on agricultural and industrial goods should ensure that businesses from all over the UK including Yorkshire can continue to export to the EU with no new barriers or frictions.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his Department's policy is on maintaining the rights and entitlements of children under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Steve Baker
The UK’s commitment to the rights of the child will not be affected by withdrawal from the EU and the non-retention of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The Government’s intention is that in itself the non-incorporation of the Charter into UK law should not affect the substantive rights that individuals already benefit from in the UK, including the rights of children, as the Charter was never the source of those rights.
After exit, children’s rights will continue to be protected through domestic legislation (including the Children Act 1989) and the UK will remain a party to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Government has published a right-by-right analysis on the Charter which sets out, non-exhaustively, how each substantive right found in the Charter will be reflected in the domestic law of the UK after exit in greater detail. The analysis is available on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/664891/05122017_Charter_Analysis_FINAL_VERSION.pdf.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
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 14 September 2017 to Question 9857, if he will provide an update on the appointment of a Chief Scientific Adviser to his Department.
Answered by Steve Baker
Pursuant to the answer of 14 September I can confirm that the Department has appointed Chris Jones, Director for Justice Security and Migration (JSM) as the Department Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA).
The role of a CSA within the Department has been very carefully considered. We are a unique, time-limited department with a coordinating function covering the full range of government business. We are reliant upon other Government departments to lead on policy development, including incorporating their own specialist scientific advice where necessary. We recognise that a CSA will ensure that the departmental decisions are informed by the best science and engineering advice and to provide a route for us to engage directly with the wider network of CSAs where necessary.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the Government's policy is on guaranteeing that workers will retain the same workers' rights after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
As the Prime Minister has said, this government will protect workers’ rights, and ensure that they keep pace with the changing labour market.
The Repeal Bill will ensure that workers' rights that derive from EU law will continue to be available in domestic law. This will give certainty and continuity to employees and employers alike, creating stability in which the UK can grow and thrive.
We do not need to be part of the EU to have strong protections for workers' rights. The UK already goes beyond EU minimum standards in a number of areas, such as entitlement to annual leave and provisions for shared parental leave and flexible working.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he plans to appoint a Chief Science Adviser prior to the opening of the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department continues to discuss with Sir Mark Walport, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, what more we should do to ensure that DExEU is accessing the very best scientific expertise.
There are several models for achieving this, and it is important for us to take into account DExEU’s role as a co-ordinating department when considering what provisions to put in place.
The department is currently exploring these options, including considering the appointment of a Chief Scientific Adviser.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
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 publish the Great Repeal Bill before the next Queen's Speech.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government intends to introduce the Great Repeal Bill in the next Parliamentary session.
The Government will also bring forward a White Paper on the Great Repeal Bill that will set out our approach to giving effect to withdrawal on the domestic statute book. We will ensure it is published in time to allow Parliament sufficient time to digest its contents in advance of introduction of the Great Repeal Bill in the next session.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many days he has spent abroad on government business since his appointment.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Prime Minister has been clear that we will not give a running commentary on our EU exit negotiations. We will ensure that we engage closely with all relevant interlocutors. Details of Ministerial overseas travel will be published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the Government's policy is on whether Article 127 of the EEA agreement should be triggered.
Answered by David Jones
As the UK is party to the EEA agreement only in its capacity as an EU member state, once we leave the European Union the EEA agreement will automatically cease to apply to the UK.