Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent meetings he has held with representatives of technology firms on the use of technology at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Robin Walker
Our policy is clear – we are committed to ensuring that there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and to ensuring the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the whole of the UK's internal market. We have said categorically that there will be no physical infrastructure or related checks and controls at the border.
In the course of meetings across a variety of sectors and industry groups, the Secretary of State discussed the UK’s proposed customs arrangements following our exit from the EU, the Northern Ireland and Ireland land border has also been discussed.
Since the referendum, HMRC officials and the Border Delivery Group have also met with over 300 businesses and representative bodies covering a wide range of sectors and interests as well as engaging with a wide range of suppliers in relation to UK border arrangements both for EU Exit and longer term future border arrangements.
My department has been coordinating work with HMRC, Border Force and the cross-government Border Delivery Group on this issue. They are working on finding technological facilitations in relation to the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, and ensuring that the UK has a functioning customs regime when we leave the EU.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings has he held with the heads of the devolved institutions since the creation of his Department.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government has been engaging with the devolved administrations throughout the negotiation process. The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has spoken to Ministers from the Scottish and Welsh governments on a number of occasions to update them on the negotiations, including through the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations. In the absence of an Executive, we have also engaged at an official level with the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
There have now been nine meetings of the JMC(EN), most recently on 2 May 2018. Following our commitment to further engage with the devolved administrations, the UK Government has established a new Ministerial Forum on EU Negotiations to discuss a range of issues in relation to negotiations on the UK's Future Relationship with the EU. The Ministerial Forum is jointly chaired by the Minister for the Constitution and myself, and met for the first time on 24 May 2018. Senior officials from the Northern Ireland Civil Service attend both the JMC(EN) and Ministerial Forum in the absence of an Executive.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Prime Minister reaffirmed her commitments to the Northern Ireland and Ireland border in her speech at Mansion House, recognising the unique circumstances in Northern Ireland, and our shared commitments to avoiding a hard border.
The Joint Report also made clear that it is our intention to avoid a hard border and any physical infrastructure or related checks and controls between Northern Ireland and Ireland through our overall UK-EU relationship. If this does not prove possible, we will then propose specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland. In the absence of agreed solutions, the UK will maintain full alignment with those rules of the internal market and the customs union which, now or in the future, support North-South co-operation, the all-island economy and the protection of the 1998 [Belfast] Agreement. We have always been clear that we will not agree anything that threatens the constitutional or economic integrity of the UK.
We have pledged to translate all of the commitments made in the Joint Report we published with the EU Commission in December into a legally binding Withdrawal Agreement. This includes all of those on Northern Ireland and Ireland. We remain absolutely committed to doing so.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent representations he has made and discussions he has held with the EU on the future of the UK-Ireland land border.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK has made extensive representations on this issue throughout all negotiating rounds with the European Commission. There is much agreement between the UK and the EU on the proposals for how to address the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland and Ireland in light of the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.
The joint report between the UK and the EU makes clear our steadfast commitment to the Belfast (‘Good Friday’) Agreement, including the principle of consent; the continuation of the Common Travel Area and associated rights; and the vital objective of avoiding any physical infrastructure on the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We are committed to finding a practical solution that recognises the unique economic, social and political context of the land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We are clear that we will not agree anything that threatens the constitutional or economic integrity of the UK.