Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many staff of his Department are seconded from consultancy firms and other third party organisations; and what the cost to the public purse is of those secondments.
Answered by Suella Braverman
The Department is continuing to recruit the brightest and the best from across the civil service, the wider public sector and the private sector. The Department currently has 12 staff on secondment with a cost of £593,892.28 excluding VAT from 1 April 2017 to 27 March 2018.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
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 the effect of leaving the single market and customs union on disadvantaged communities and people working in low-income and insecure jobs.
Answered by Steve Baker
When the UK leaves the European Union, we will also the leave the EU Customs Union and develop and independent trade policy which benefits the whole country.
The Government is committed to negotiating a deep and special partnership with the European Union and is conducting a wide-ranging programme of analysis. It would not be appropriate, however, to publish details that could undermine the UK's negotiating position with the EU, and Parliament has voted not to publish such details.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
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 (a) employ and train customs officials and (b) establish customs control posts and additional capacity in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Steve Baker
HMRC and Border Force are responsible for the UK’s customs arrangements.
HMRC are considering the capacity and capability requirements for future customs arrangements as part of their EU exit planning. This will be kept under review as negotiations progress.
The future customs controls required following EU Exit will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. All options are being considered. In the unlikely event that an agreement with the EU is not reached, the Government will work to ensure that trade between the UK and the EU is as frictionless as possible.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he has taken to (a) employ and train staff and (b) acquire appropriate premises for a new cadre of regulators in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Steve Baker
Individual governmental departments are responsible for resourcing and accommodation decisions for all existing and any potential new Arms Length Bodies that fall within their remit. This includes those with regulatory functions. The Government will continue to plan for a range of scenarios and will be ready to take any necessary steps to ensure that we are ready for exit day.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the Civil Service workforce in his Department dedicated to planning for (a) the UK leaving the EU and (b) projects relating to the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Steve Baker
The Department for Exiting the European Union is responsible for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU. As such all staff in the Department are dedicated to planning or supporting the work on EU exit.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
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 13 September 2017 to Question 8561, if he will publish his Department's studies into the effect of the UK leaving the EU on different sectors of the UK economy.
Answered by Steve Baker
The Government is committed to negotiating a deep and special partnership with the European Union and is conducting a wide-ranging programme of analysis. It would not be appropriate, however, to publish details that could undermine the UK's negotiating position with the EU, and Parliament has voted not to publish such details.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans his Department has to publish studies into the effect of the UK leaving the EU on different sectors of the UK economy.
Answered by Robin Walker
It is not standard practice to provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work that is being carried out within government. The Government's plan for leaving the EU has been discussed at length, and Parliament will have a say on the final deal we achieve with the European Union by putting that deal to a vote in both Houses before it comes into force. But as Parliament has also agreed, we will not publish anything that would undermine our ability to negotiate the best deal for the UK.