Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the House of Commons Library Briefing Paper, Brexit questions in national and EU courts, Number 8415, published on 6 December 2018, what estimate he has made of the total cost to the public purse of the Government's legal action in Brexit-related cases.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Brexit related cases are ongoing and handled by a range of departments across Whitehall depending on the subject matter relating in part or in total to Brexit. The Government Legal Department (and the Office of the Advocate General for matters in Scotland) is responsible for billing departments as clients for litigation services. DExEU does not therefore hold an estimate of the totality of the costs associated with Brexit related cases across Government.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what contingency plans his Department has made in the event that the (a) EU withdrawal agreement and (b)Political Declaration are not approved by Parliament.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The government has successfully reached a deal with the EU and delivering the deal is its top priority.
The final deal that Parliament will be voting on means that we will leave the EU in a smooth and orderly way on 29 March 2019. It sets the framework for a future relationship that delivers in our national interest. It takes back control of our borders, laws and money, it protects jobs, security and the integrity of the United Kingdom, and it delivers in ways that many said could simply not be done.
Anything other than straightforward approval of the deal will bring with it huge uncertainty for business, consumers and citizens.
However, as a responsible government we have undertaken extensive work over the past two years to prepare for a potential no deal scenario.
We have published 106 technical notices to help businesses and citizens to prepare for March 2019 in the unlikely event that we leave the EU without a deal. In addition to these technical notices, we have already successfully passed critical legislation, signed international agreements, recruited additional staff and guaranteed certain EU funding in preparation for a no deal scenario.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment Department has made of the potential effect of (a) the UK leaving the EU without a deal, (b) the draft withdrawal agreement and (c) the UK remaining in the EU on forecasted employment rates over the next 10 years.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The UK and the EU have taken a decisive step forward, agreeing the provisional terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU and making significant progress on the outline terms of our future relationship.
While the chances of no deal have been reduced considerably, the government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities, in case a final agreement cannot be reached.
The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis, across a range of scenarios, in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. When we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis to make an informed decision.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 on the potential effect of (a) the UK leaving the EU without a deal, (b) the draft withdrawal agreement and (c) the UK remaining in the EU on GDP forecasts over the next 10 years.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The UK and the EU have taken a decisive step forward, agreeing the provisional terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU and making significant progress on the outline terms of our future relationship.
While the chances of no deal have been reduced considerably, the government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities, in case a final agreement cannot be reached.
The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis, across a range of scenarios, in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. When we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis to make an informed decision.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 organisations representing the Irish republican community on the draft agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Over the past months, UK Government Ministers and officials have met with a range of stakeholders in Northern Ireland, including representatives from all communities to discuss and hear their views on a wide range issues relating to our Withdrawal from the EU.
Both former Secretaries of State visited Northern Ireland this year to deepen their understanding of one of the key issues of Brexit. They met a range of stakeholders in Northern Ireland and assured them that the Government will uphold our commitments made to the people of Northern Ireland and the Belfast Agreement
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
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 number of staff who have left his Department since it was created; and what information his Department holds on the reasons for those departures.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Department for Exiting the European Union was set up as a time limited department and as such the majority of staff are employed on fixed term contracts or are loaned from other Government Departments. Attrition has remained stable at about 3% monthly average for most of the department’s life. These figures are not considered out of line for a department that has a staff profile as above. Many of those who have left to date have been planned leavers who have moved to other government departments due to their loan or job rotation coming to an end.