Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with representatives from the Trades Union Congress on the effect of the Government's proposed Withdrawal Agreement on workers' rights in the UK.
Answered by Robin Walker
Ministers and senior officials from across Government have carried out extensive engagement on EU exit - with businesses, industry bodies, and civil society organisations from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK. This includes recent and ongoing engagement with the Trades Union Congress. The Secretary of State for DExEU spoke to Frances O’Grady, the Director General of the Trades Union Congress, on 23 November and again on 11 January and plans to continue these discussions. The Prime Minister is also engaging with Trades Unions and spoke to a number of unions on 11 January.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with his European Union counterparts on reciprocal arrangements for roaming charges between the UK and the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The government holds regular discussions with the EU on the future economic partnership, covering a wide range of topics, as minimising disruption for consumers in the mutual interests of both sides. The government’s White Paper sets out proposals for the future relationship we want to build with the European Union, including new arrangements for services and digital sectors. The government published a technical notice on 13th September 2018 which provides guidance on mobile roaming in the unlikely event that we leave the EU without a deal.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU have included ensuring that mobile phone roaming charges will not be applied to British Citizens after the UK's departure from the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The government holds regular discussions with the EU on the future economic partnership, covering a wide range of topics. as minimising disruption for consumers is in the mutual interests of both sides. The government’s White Paper sets out proposals for the future relationship we want to build with the European Union, including new arrangements for services and digital sectors. The government published a technical notice on 13th September 2018 which provides guidance on mobile roaming in the unlikely event that we leave the EU without a deal.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government of the effect on Scotland of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Robin Walker
We are committed to securing a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom and we have been clear from the start that the Devolved Administrations should be fully engaged in this process. The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) and the Cabinet Office continue to work closely with the Scottish Government to prepare for Exit.
The Government is undertaking a comprehensive and wide ranging programme of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. UK Government departments continue to discuss operational issues with the Devolved Administrations in all scenarios and it is critical that this engagement continues at pace. DExEU has engaged the Scottish Government and the other Devolved Administrations on operational issues in all scenarios.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent progress he has made on negotiations with the EU on the UK leaving the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Suella Braverman
As the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union set out in his oral statement to the House on Tuesday 4 September, we have injected additional pace and intensity into the negotiations as we reach the final phases and we are confident a deal is within our grasp.
The Government’s White Paper supplies a precise, responsible and credible basis for moving negotiations forward to achieve a deal that works in our mutual interest. We expect the EU to engage seriously with the proposals and both negotiating teams to work at pace to reach a substantive agreement on the Future Framework in the autumn.
The vast majority of the Withdrawal Agreement has also been agreed and we have made further progress across a range of the outstanding separation issues, including the protection of data and information, the treatment of ongoing police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters, and ongoing Union judicial and administrative procedures after exit.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on border infrastructure in Northern Ireland after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on ensuring that we meet our clear Joint Report commitment to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
The Joint Report in December made clear that the UK is committed to avoiding any physical border infrastructure, or related checks and controls. The commitment was also reiterated unanimously by the House in passing Lords amendment 25 to the EU (Withdrawal) Act.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to meet representatives of British in Europe to discuss the effect of the UK leaving the EU on UK citizens living in non-UK, EU countries.
Answered by Suella Braverman
Throughout this process, Ministers and senior officials from the Department for Exiting the European Union have spoken with delegates from groups representing UK nationals in the EU, including representatives of British in Europe, to hear their views and concerns. Our Embassies and Ambassadors in the EU 27 have also engaged extensively with the UK communities in their host states.
All UK nationals legally resident in the EU before the end of the implementation period, 31 December 2020, will fall under the Citizens’ Rights part of Withdrawal Agreement. This is an agreement that gives people more certainty about residence, healthcare, pensions and other benefits. As negotiations progress we will continue to work in the interests of our nationals to reach a final deal that is in the mutual interests of citizens living across the continent.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans the Secretary of State has to visit the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the next 12 months.
Answered by Suella Braverman
The Secretary of State’s future travel programme takes into account a range of high priority issues. The Secretary of State has been to the border, prior to his appointment to his current role, and is very much apprised of the sensitivities and importance of this critical issue.
He previously visited Northern Ireland in September 2016 meeting with the then Northern Ireland Executive and stakeholders. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Robin Walker MP, visited Northern Ireland with former Northern Ireland Office Minister Chloe Smith in September 2017, visiting the border and meeting with Re-Gen waste and InterTradeIreland.
Northern Ireland Office Ministers have also conducted an extensive programme of engagement in Northern Ireland on EU exit with a wide range of stakeholders. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland visited the border earlier this month.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings his Department has had with Ministers and officials in the Scottish Government since the triggering of Article 50.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government has been engaging with the Scottish Government throughout the negotiation process. This has included bilateral and multilateral engagement at both ministerial and official level. The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations met most recently in October, when it discussed priorities for the future relationship with the EU and agreed the principles that will underpin common UK frameworks. A list of ministerial meetings is published with each quarterly transparency return.
We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the Scottish Government as we seek a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom.