Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
What recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on the Welsh economy of the EU Withdrawal Agreement.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The Withdrawal Agreement allows us to get Brexit done and leave the European Union in a smooth and orderly manner at the end of the month.
The Government will maximise the opportunities of Brexit for Wales and the whole of the UK, taking back control of our money, our laws, our trade and our borders.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how his Department plans to support new programmes that would have been eligible for Rural Development Programme funding after 31 October 2019.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The Government has guaranteed that any Rural Development Programme projects where funding has been agreed before the end of 2020 will be funded for their full lifetime. It will ensure continued funding for these projects until they finish and means that new projects can continue to be signed off by the Welsh Government in Wales after the UK leaves the EU during 2019 and 2020.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) employment and (b) economic activity of over 65s in Wales in the last three years.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The latest labour market data shows the employment rate for over 65s in Wales was 9.8% for April 2018 to March 2019, down slightly from 10.0% for April 2015 to March 2016. The economic activity rate for over 65s in Wales also dropped slightly over the same period, from 10.1% to 9.9%.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether the Shared Prosperity Fund will be open to Welsh applications by 31 October 2019.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The Prime Minister announced in his speech on 27 July that the Government will bring forward plans on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. We will consult on the design of the fund and welcome input from across the UK.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will invest in the foundations of productivity as set out in our modern Industrial Strategy to support people to benefit from economic prosperity, especially in those parts of the UK whose economies are furthest behind.
In the meantime, stakeholders can continue to invest with confidence and certainty. The Government has guaranteed that if we leave the EU without a deal, we will continue to fund all European and Structural Investment Funds projects that would have been funded by the EU under the 2014-2020 programme period.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will estimate the gross value in pounds sterling of Welsh lamb exports to the EU in 2017 based on trade with the EU under WTO Most Favoured Nation terms.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The UK Government’s preferred position is to leave the EU with a deal that works for all parts of the UK, at which point the WTO MFN terms would not apply. It should be noted that data for lamb exports is not published at a regional level.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will place in the Library a list of all (a) estimates, (b) reviews and (c) briefings his Department has (i) prepared or conducted and (ii) contributed to in relation to the effect on Wales of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Alun Cairns
EU Exit is an all-of-government operation, and the Government wants to see the UK leave the EU with a deal.
However, the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) has done detailed work with departments, including the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales on preparing for a No-Deal scenario.
DExEU has already published detailed analysis of the effect of leaving the EU without a deal on gov.uk:
ttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/760484/28_November_EU_Exit_-_Long-term_economic_analysis__1_.pdf
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department has (a) prepared, (b) commissioned, (c) collaborated on and (d) awareness of any quantitative future projections that show that any form of leaving the EU will be directly beneficial either in terms of improving (i) GVA in Wales, (ii) Welsh GDP growth, (iii) direct foreign investment in Wales and (iv) the quantity or value of Welsh goods and services that are exported from the Welsh economy.
Answered by Alun Cairns
In November last year, the UK Government published economic analysis of EU exit under different scenarios, bringing together evidence from across government. This analysis found that under the modelled White Paper scenario there may be a very small effect on the economy over a long period of time, with Welsh GVA estimated to be 0.1% lower compared to today’s arrangements.
This estimate does not include impact of domestic policies such as our Modern Industrial Strategy and the opportunities arising from additional regulatory flexibility, and these domestic policies can drive growth and productivity in Wales going forwards.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many meetings he has had with Welsh Government in which preparations and readiness in Wales for the UK leaving the EU without a deal have been discussed.
Answered by Alun Cairns
I frequently meet with Welsh Government Ministers who attend the Joint Ministerial Committee (European Negotiations) and regularly attend the European Union Exit and Trade (Preparedness) cabinet sub-Committee to discuss these matters.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what forecasts the Government has made of the potential effect on the Welsh economy of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Alun Cairns
Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. This has not changed. However, the Government is continuing with our no deal preparations to ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality. It is the responsible thing to do.
The UK Government’s analysis shows that under the White paper proposals GVA for Wales will be 8.1 percentage points higher than in the no deal scenario.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) to make an assessment of the effect of the Government’s temporary tariff regime for the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on Welsh businesses.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The temporary tariff regime is a balanced tariff policy which aims to minimise costs to business and mitigate price impacts on consumers. The UK Government has informally consulted with businesses and business representatives during the development of this policy. This tariff is a temporary policy that will apply for up to 12 months, at the end of which the UK Government will introduce a long-term tariff regime.