Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps are being taken to avoid a hard border in Ireland in the event that the Prime Minister's withdrawal agreement is rejected by Parliament.
Answered by Robin Walker
The best way to guarantee no hard border remains delivering a deal with the EU. Both the UK and Ireland have said they will do everything in our power to avoid a hard border in any scenario. But, given that we haven’t yet agreed a deal, the Government’s continued duty is to prepare for every eventuality, including a no deal scenario.
The UK Government is clear that, in the event of no deal, we will do everything in our power to prevent a return to a hard border. In such a scenario, we must continue to respect our unique relationship with Ireland, with whom we share a land border and who are co-signatories of the Belfast Agreement. The UK Government is also firmly committed to maintaining the Common Travel Area (CTA) and to protecting the rights enjoyed by UK and Irish nationals when in each other’s state, regardless of the terms of our withdrawal from the EU.
The Government has published a technical notice on travelling within the CTA, which can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 amount of money the UK will pay to the EU during the transition period between the UK leaving the EU at the agreement of a trading relationship between the UK and EU.
Answered by Suella Braverman
We have agreed a fair financial settlement with the EU as part of the draft Withdrawal Agreement. It reflects the UK paying its share of the outstanding EU commitments made during the period of our membership. Our estimate, based on reasonable assumptions and publicly available data, is that it will fall within the range of £35-39bn and the National Audit Office confirmed in April 2018 that these assumptions were reasonable.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government plans to publish its contingency plans for no deal being reached on the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
The Government has been clear on the outcome it wants to achieve, which is to secure a mutually advantageous deal with the EU. However, we have already carried out very significant ‘no deal’ preparations for the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal. We have successfully passed critical legislation, signed international agreements, recruited additional staff and guaranteed certain EU funding in a ‘no deal’ scenario.
We have already published a series of 77 technical notices so that businesses and citizens have time to prepare in the event of a 'no deal' scenario. These are available on gov.uk in a centralised location that is easy for people to access and use.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has made a regional assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Suella Braverman
We are committed to getting the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for all parts of the UK. We do not want or expect a no-deal scenario and remain confident that we will secure a mutually advantageous deal with the EU. We continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy, and all regions and nations of the UK, in order to inform our negotiations.
The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis, across a range of scenarios, in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would reveal our negotiating position and so the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the service sector has tariff-free access to the Single Market after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
Services, unlike goods, are not subject to tariffs and, unlike the vast majority of manufactured goods and agricultural products, most services are not subject to specific product standards.
Our position is that we will be leaving the Single Market, including in services. But that does not change our ambition to ensure UK and EU service providers continue to benefit from cross-border trade after leaving the European Union.
To this end, the Government’s White Paper sets out our vision for a deep and comprehensive deal for the services industry with the European Union – including detailed proposals on digital, financial, professional and business, and other services.
Our approach is based on the principles of international trade and the precedents of existing EU trade agreements. It minimises new barriers to service provision, allowing UK firms to establish in the EU, and provides for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications.
We accept that leaving the Single Market will have implications for market access and that some UK and EU service suppliers will not enjoy the same rights as they do today.
However, leaving the European Union will give us regulatory flexibility where it matters most, for the UK’s services-based economy, and where the potential trading opportunities outside the EU are the largest.
This proposal represents the best, credible proposal for the future relationship that meets all of the Government's objectives and the EU's red lines.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will provide a list of people and organisations which have lobbied him and his Department on the UK's requirements for seasonal workers.
Answered by Steve Baker
Ministers and officials across Government are engaging with UK and EU organisations from every sector of the economy - this is a central element of our plan to get the right deal for Britain. We are listening and talking to a broad range of organisations, companies and institutions both in the UK and abroad, including on the issue of requirements for seasonal workers. Details of Ministerial meetings will be published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.