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 industry representatives on the potential effect of the draft withdrawal agreement on the automotive industry.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The UK and the EU have worked intensively together on this Withdrawal Agreement to get the best deal for businesses and citizens. The text agreed reflects the positive evolution in both sides’ positions.
The UK’s automotive industry is world leading, and global demand for UK vehicles is strong.
My colleagues across Government have been in regular contact with the automotive industry to ensure the best possible outcomes for the sector, including in the Withdrawal 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 discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential effect on transport infrastructure in the West Midlands of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Ministers from the Department of Exiting the European Union have visited the West Midlands on a number of occasions since the referendum. The Government is committed to positive and productive engagement with businesses and local government in the West Midlands, as well as all parts of the UK, and will continue to work closely with them to understand the potential impact and opportunities presented by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
We have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations, and we have now published 106 specific technical notices to help businesses, citizens and consumers to prepare for March 2019 in the event of a no deal scenario.
These included 13 technical notices published by the Department for Transport covering road, rail, aviation and maritime. These technical notices set out, in detail, the potential effects on transport both at a regional and national level.
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 held with representatives of the (a) EU and (b) Governments of EU Member States on the potential consequences of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on visa-free travel between the UK and the EU.
Answered by Suella Braverman
The Secretary of State meets regularly with Michel Barnier and his EU counterparts to discuss the issues related to our exit. We are seeking to agree a reciprocal framework for mobility with the EU which will allow people to travel visa-free for tourism and temporary business activities. Leaving without a deal is in neither side’s interests: we remain confident the UK and EU will agree a mutually advantageous deal.
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 small business owners in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands on the potential effect on the operation of their businesses in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
Ministers from across Government continue to engage extensively with businesses from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK, and regularly meet with business representative organisations. For example, Suella Braverman visited the West Midlands in July, meeting manufacturing businesses there.
Ministers in my Department have undertaken more than 500 engagements with business and civil society stakeholders since July 2016. Details are published in the quarterly transparency returns.
In the unlikely event of leaving the EU without a deal, we have published 106 technical notices on GOV.UK. These provide guidance to businesses on the steps they should take to prepare. We will publish further information to help business prepare for exit.
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 the Government has made of the potential effect on car manufacturing in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Suella Braverman
The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations including for the automotive sector. I myself was pleased to visit the West Midlands and hear from local business representatives about Brexit.
We do not want or expect a no deal scenario, however, as a responsible Government we are preparing plans for a range of outcomes. We have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations and as part of this planning the Government has published 106 technical notices to help businesses and citizens prepare for March 2019 in the unlikely event of a ‘no deal’ scenario. These include notices on vehicle type approval, trading with the EU and classifying your goods in the UK Trade Tariff, among others. These can be accessed on the gov.uk website.
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, whether he has held discussions with Cabinet colleagues and EU representatives on the holding of European parliamentary elections in the UK in 2019 in the event that the UK's withdrawal from the EU is delayed.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Prime Minister has been clear that the United Kingdom will cease to be a member of the European Union on the 29th March 2019 and we will no longer have Members of the European Parliament.
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, how many staff were (a) employed by and (b) seconded to his Department at May (i) 2017 and (ii) 2018.
Answered by Steve Baker
In April 2017, The Department for Exiting the EU employed 375 people and had 11 individuals seconded into the Department.
In April 2018, the Department employed 629 people and had 15 secondees into the Department.
The Department is unable to provide the data requested for end May 2018 as we have not yet confirmed our May headcount figure. We have however provided end April 2018 data for your records.
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 steps he is taking to ensure that small and medium sized enterprises that trade with the EU are not subject to high tariffs for that trade after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Suella Braverman
A close trading relationship benefits both the UK and EU Member States, and we want the broadest and deepest possible partnership – covering more sectors and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today. We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, as well as to negotiate our own trade agreements around the world. As the Prime Minister stated in her Mansion House speech, this means we do not want to see the introduction of any tariffs or quotas.