Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the tariff at World Trade Organisation rates would be on exporting a car made in the UK to the EU and (a) valued at £15,000 at the point of export and (b) valued at £25,000 at the point of export in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
As set out in the White Paper the UK proposes a UK-EU free trade area for goods, to ensure continued frictionless access at the border to each other’s markets, with no tariffs, underpinned by an upfront commitment to a common rulebook on goods, including agri-food and a Facilitated Customs Arrangement to avoid customs checks and controls at our borders.
However, in the unlikely event of a no deal scenario, trade with the EU will be on non-preferential, WTO terms. This means that most favoured nation (MFN) tariffs would apply to consignments between the UK and EU.
The EU MFN rates are set out in the EU's Common Customs Tariff (CCT). The EU may change these rates between now and March 2019, but this provides an indication.
The UK will apply its MFN rates to goods imported into the UK from the EU. The government will determine and publish these new UK duty rates before we leave the EU. They may be different from the rates in the EU’s CCT.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect of increasing the transition period after the UK leaves the EU on the UK's ability to negotiate preferential trade agreements with third countries.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
As the Prime Minister has made clear, we expect the implementation period to end, as planned, in December 2020.
The idea to create an option - and it would only be an option - to extend the implementation period for a matter of months would simply provide an "insurance policy" in the extremely unlikely event that no agreement on our future partnership is agreed by December 2020.
It should be noted that during this period we will be free to negotiate, sign and ratify new trade agreements with third countries.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions have been held with the EU on ensuring that scientists will have the same access to data and data sharing capability as their European counterparts after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The UK has been clear that it is committed to establishing a far-reaching science and innovation accord with the EU. Two rounds of initial discussions have taken place with the Article 50 Task Force on science and innovation, the first on 22 May and the second on 7 June. Both sets of discussions were constructive, demonstrating a strong case for continued collaboration in this area.
This science and innovation accord will be underpinned by the UK’s wider agreements with the EU, including those on data sharing and protection. As we set out in our July 2018 White Paper, we are looking for an agreement with the EU that provides for the continued exchange of personal data between the UK and the EU with strong privacy protections for citizens.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will ensure that in further negotiations with the EU that the UK will not accept a border down the Irish Sea which will separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The original proposals put forward by the EU are ones we cannot accept. It would mean creating a customs border down the Irish sea and breaking the integrity of the UK. The proposals we have put forward for our future economic relationship would allow both sides to meet our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland in full. We are working hard to get a deal on that basis. While we remain committed to resolving the Northern Ireland border through our overall economic relationship, the backstop is a critical issue, and we stand by all our commitments including the safeguarding of the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom.