Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
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 potential implications for a hard border on the island of Ireland of the UK leaving the EU without a deal and trading on WTO terms.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The backstop is our ultimate safeguard in the event there is a gap between the end of the implementation period and the start of our new ambitious relationship, we will uphold the commitments of the Belfast Agreement and ensure there’s no return to a hard border. This is essential to safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of the people of Northern Ireland.
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.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans to publish his Department's preparations for no deal.
Answered by Suella Braverman
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 over 100 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: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what change there has been in staffing levels in his Department since June 2016.
Answered by Suella Braverman
The Department continues to recruit the brightest and the best from across the civil service, the wider public sector and the private sector. The Department for Exiting the European Union was established in July 2016 and has now grown to over 650 staff.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to his oral contribution of 12 July 2018, on EU: Future Relationship White Paper Column 1158, Official Report, column 1158, what the timetable is for the publication of the (a) withdrawal agreement and (b) implementation bill.
Answered by Suella Braverman
As we set out in the future relationship White Paper the UK and the EU have a shared ambition to agree both the Withdrawal Agreement and the Future Framework by October in order to given sufficient time for the respective our Parliaments to give their approval before the UK leaves the EU on 29 March 2019.
Once the UK and the EU have reached agreement on the Withdrawal Agreement and Future Framework, under the terms of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, there will be a debate in both Houses of Parliament. If the House of Commons supports a resolution to approve the Withdrawal Agreement and Future Framework, the Government will bring forward the implementing legislation - the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill.
A draft of the Withdrawal Agreement was published on 19 March 2018.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the oral evidence of the Prime Minister of 18 July 2018 to the Liaison Committee, when the Government plans to publish 70 technical notices for businesses and families setting out how to prepare for a no-deal scenario for the UK leaving the EU; and how many of those notes have been completed.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Securing a deal with our EU partners remains our top priority and we are confident in doing so, but we have a duty to plan for alternatives.
We will therefore be providing further information on our plans for a range of exit scenarios in order to guide businesses and the public on how they can best prepare for our exit from the EU. To this end, the Government will be publishing around 70 technical notices throughout August and September.