Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
What recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the potential effect of the Withdrawal Agreement on the Northern Ireland economy.
Answered by James Duddridge
I regularly meet with my predecessor, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to discuss the deal, including the new Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, and will continue to do so.
As the Prime Minister has said, beyond the changes introduced by the Protocol, there will be no changes to GB-NI trade. Northern Ireland remains part of the UK’s customs territory.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to page 7 of the Political Declaration, whether the appropriate and modern rules of origin proposed will apply to UK manufactured goods being exported to the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Duddridge
The revised Political Declaration makes clear that a future ‘ambitious, broad, deep and flexible’ relationship will have a ‘comprehensive and balanced’ Free Trade Agreement at its core.
Any new Rules of Origin commitments will be a matter for future negotiations, but the Government will work with industry to ensure an outcome is reached that represents business interests across the UK.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Exiting the EU to the Committee on Exiting the European Union of 9 January 2019, on what date the French Government announced its intention to establish a border inspection point in Calais.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
We are aware that the French authorities are planning for the deployment of new border control posts which will be able to process products of animal origin at the ports of entry for the Channel. In addition, Gérald Darmanin, Minister of Public Action and Accounts, has announced the creation of a customs office in Calais which will help French authorities to improve their capacity to ensure fluidity and avoid unnecessary delays. However, as I stated in evidence to the Committee on Exiting the European Union, we will continue to monitor the situation in Calais and until any such border inspection post is operational, we will continue to develop our border plans to cover the full spectrum of scenarios.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he now plans to negotiate mutual recognition of broadcasting regulation standards with the European Union; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
The audiovisual sector is both economically and culturally important to the UK and the EU. In our future partnership with the EU, we are seeking to maintain regulatory flexibility in important parts of the UK’s services economy, including broadcasting. Overall, this represents the best, credible proposal for the future relationship and a new and fair balance of rights and obligations.
As the Prime Minister stated in the Mansion House speech, the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) will no longer apply in the UK after the UK leaves the EU and with it the single market. As a result, the “country of origin” principle, in which a company based in one Member State can be licenced by a national regulator and broadcast into any other Member State, will no longer apply.
The UK is seeking the best possible arrangements for the broadcasting sector. We are focussing on ensuring the ability to trade as freely as possible with the EU and supporting the continued growth of the UK and European broadcasting industry. In addition, due to the UK's ongoing participation in the Council of Europe's Convention on Transfrontier Television (CTT), which will not be affected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, works originating in the UK will continue to be classed as European Works, which is extremely important to industry.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the paper entitled Withdrawal of the United Kingdom and EU Rules in the Field of Industrial Products, published by the EU Commission on 22 January 2018, what discussions he has had during negotiations on whether UK notified bodies will lose their status in March 2019 or after the completion of the proposed implementation period.
Answered by Robin Walker
We are working closely with Member States and our partners in the EU institutions to negotiate the best deal for the UK and the EU. As set out in the Government’s August 2017 position paper ‘Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK’, we want compliance activity, including conformity assessments from notified bodies, carried out prior to exit to be recognised in both the UK and the EU to support a smooth exit and the move to a deep and special future relationship. We have been engaging extensively with the EU on these matters.
We welcome the EU’s agreement to negotiate an implementation period, as set out in the Council guidelines published on 15 December. We have been clear that this should be based on the existing structure of EU rules and regulations, during which the UK and the EU would continue to have access to one another’s markets on current terms. We will continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholders, including notified bodies.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions his Department have had with the EU Commission on the future of UK notified bodies.
Answered by Robin Walker
We are working closely with Member States and our partners in the EU institutions to negotiate the best deal for the UK and the EU. As set out in the Government’s August 2017 position paper ‘Continuity in the availability of goods for the EU and the UK’, we want compliance activity, including conformity assessments from notified bodies, carried out prior to exit to be recognised in both the UK and the EU to support a smooth exit and the move to a deep and special future relationship. We’ve been engaging extensively with the EU on these matters.
After reaching sufficient progress and moving onto the second phase of the negotiations, we look forward to beginning discussions on the framework for a future relationship. We will continue to work closely with notified bodies in the next stages.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has identified any factors which could give rise to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and which could be resolved though (i) general EU-UK negotiations or (ii) specific solutions to address the unique circumstances of the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government is committed to avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
The UK:EU Joint Report sets out our plan to address Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances and the border in the context of the wider UK-EU deep and special partnership. That is the right approach - we want a deal that works for all parts of the UK, whilst recognising Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances.
These principles also address the question of a fall-back option to avoid a hard border and disruption to businesses and supply chains both sides of the border in the unlikely event that we do not reach the agreement we want.
In that scenario, the Government will ensure regulatory continuity in those sectors that are crucial to cross-border cooperation, businesses and the farming community. These are sectors where cross-border policies and approaches have already received cross-community support.
The Government also recalls its commitment to preserving the integrity of the UK internal market and Northern Ireland's place within it. In all circumstances, the United Kingdom will continue to ensure the same unfettered access for Northern Ireland's businesses to the whole of the United Kingdom internal market.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what account he is taking of the interests of small businesses in negotiations on leaving the EU?
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The millions of small and medium sized businesses throughout Britain make a significant contribution to our country through taxes, employing people and through the value of the goods and services they provide.
The Government engages widely and regularly with small businesses from across the economy through attendance at industry events and visits to locations across the UK. Ministers work closely with representative bodies such as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) to secure the best possible deal for the United Kingdom. In July, the FSB hosted a small business roundtable attended by Government Ministers. The FSB are also regularly invited to the Business Advisory Group, a forum of business representative organisations who regularly meet with senior Cabinet Ministers, including DExEU Secretary of State David Davis, to highlight their concerns regarding EU exit.
Details of Ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
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 likelihood of reaching an agreement with the EU on free trade in services; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
On 15 December the European Council confirmed that sufficient progress had been made to move onto the second phase of negotiations relating to our future partnership with the EU.
We will pursue the freest possible trade in services between the UK and the EU. And we are confident that such an agreement is in the interests of both sides.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
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 of the date on which he will announce detailed arrangements for the implementation phase after the UK's exit from the EU?
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government recognises that early agreement on an implementation period is important to provide certainty to businesses and individuals on both sides of the channel. The timing and detail of the implementation period will of course be a matter for negotiations. The Government welcomes President Tusk’s call for discussions on the implementation period to start immediately and his comments that it should be agreed as soon as possible. This very much aligns with the Government’s position.
We will continue to keep Parliament informed through regular statements and committee appearances, and will continue to timetable debates in Government time.