Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon and Consett)
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 of the potential effect on the extent of the divergence of regulations and standards which underpin health, safety and personal protective products in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a mutual recognition agreement.
Answered by Robin Walker
As part of EU exit negotiations, we will discuss how best to continue cooperation in the areas of health and safety and personal protective equipment, in order to satisfy the best interests of both the UK and the EU. It would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome of these negotiations.
It should however be noted that, regardless of our future economic relationship with the EU, the UK is committed to ensuring strong health and safety standards. The UK is recognised as a world-leader in delivering strong health and safety protections for workers, and according to health and safety at work statistics, the UK is one of the safest places to work in the EU.
Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon and Consett)
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 of the effect on the UK health and safety product sector of the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
As part of our work preparing to make a success of our departure from the European Union we are undertaking a broad range of sectoral analysis covering the entirety of the UK economy. This means looking at 58 sectors as well as cross-cutting regulatory, economic and social issues to help inform our negotiation positions.
The Government’s sector report on Life Sciences, which also covers pharmaceuticals and medical devices, sets out a description of the sectors, the current EU regulatory regime, existing frameworks for how trade is facilitated between countries in these sectors and sector views. These reports have been made available for members of both Houses to read in a secure reading room.
The Government is committed to securing the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for the entirety of the UK economy. We have been engaging with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.