Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) nephrops, (b) salmon and (c) other seafood will be among the goods for which there will be free-flowing trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Windsor Framework removes any requirement to provide export declarations, or any equivalent information, for businesses moving goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. This assures unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the UK market on a permanent basis.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if his Department will publish specific documents for each nation of Great Britain on the potential impact of the proposed Windsor Framework on devolved responsibilities.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Windsor Framework was presented to Parliament on 27 February. The UK will take forward implementing measures as necessary, providing the basis for these new arrangements to enter into force, which will be accompanied by supporting documents in the usual way.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish an economic assessment of how much new Not for EU labelling on higher risk goods will cost traders in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales as a result of the proposed Windsor Framework.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Proportionate arrangements for the labelling of products, including product-level labelling for a subset of high-risk products, ensures that internal trade moving in the green lane stays within the United Kingdom. These will be introduced in a phased way and we will support businesses in adapting to these new arrangements.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the infrastructure that would be required at the Border Control Post at Cairnryan in relation to the movement of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain under the proposed Windsor Framework.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Windsor Framework removes any requirement to provide export declarations, or any equivalent information, for businesses moving goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain. This assures unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the UK market on a permanent basis, with controls applied only where strictly necessary to manage our international obligations, such as for movements of endangered species.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department will set a definition for which products will qualify officially as Northern Ireland goods with unfettered access to Great British markets following the announcement of the proposed Windsor Framework.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The definition of Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods is set out in the Definition of Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods (EU Exit) Regulations 2020.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what physical checks on (a) food safety, (b) animal health and (c) plant health will be necessary at Border Control Posts in Great Britain in relation to the movement of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain under the proposed Windsor Framework.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Windsor Framework assures unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the UK market on a permanent basis, with controls applied only where strictly necessary to manage our international obligations, such as for movements of endangered species.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the movement of (a) cattle, (b) sheep and (c) other livestock are covered by the green lane in relation to the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland under the proposed Windsor Framework.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As was the case with the arrangements in place before Brexit, the Windsor Framework respects that the island of Ireland has for decades been treated as a single epidemiological unit, which involves specific requirements for the movement of livestock. The UK and EU had already agreed in 2021 a variety of arrangements to simplify the movements of livestock, and we will continue to work closely with the livestock sector in Great Britain and Northern Ireland to support the smooth flow of livestock movements.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish guidance on the scope of (a) Scottish food safety and (b) standards rules that would apply to retail goods moving from Scotland to Northern Ireland through the green lane proposed in the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
UK public health and safety standards will apply for all retail food and drink moved in the green lane within the UK internal market. The Government will provide further guidance in due course.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans the Government has to implement a Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme in relation to mixed shipments.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Further guidance on the agrifood green lane will be provided in due course. We will work with industry to ensure the full benefits of the Windsor Framework can be delivered.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the timeline is for the negotiations between the UK Representatives and European Union counterparts on UK association to Horizon Europe.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The terms for UK association to EU Programmes (including Horizon Europe) were agreed under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement in December 2020. The EU subsequently refused to finalise association, linking it to the unrelated issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol. Following the agreement of the Windsor Framework, we welcome that the EU has shown openness to discussions and we look forward to working constructively together. Any revised terms would need to reflect the financial reality that we have missed over two years of the seven-year programme.