Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to write to all trade associations on issuing guidance to their members on planning for the UK leaving the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government is engaging widely with its stakeholders, including trade associations, to help businesses to plan for all scenarios including a ‘no deal’ EU exit. We have published over 70 technical notices describing the changes businesses and citizens could need to make in a ‘no deal’ scenario. We have worked closely with stakeholders including many trade associations as part of this process.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to Written Statement HCWS540, how much of that funding he has allocated to (a) programmes, (b) administration and (c) staffing in his Department.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
As set out in Written Statement HCWS540, HMT allocated BEIS a supplementary £185.1m for EU exit work in the financial year 2018/19. Of this total allocation, £106.7m has been budgeted for programme and capital spend. £78.4m has been budgeted as administration spend, of which £57.3m has been budgeted for staff within BEIS. BEIS will keep these budgets under review over the course of the financial year.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses have informed his Department that they will relocate their business operations outside the UK in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
Business decisions on investment reflect a range of factors. The department is aware through regular engagement with businesses that they are concerned to ensure that future trade with the European Union remains as frictionless as possible; and that many have contingency arrangements in the unlikely event of no deal, supported by the Technical Notices that the UK Government has published.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of leaving the EU in accordance with (a) the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper and (b) a no-deal scenario.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
In the financial year 2018/19, HMT allocated BEIS a supplementary £185.1m for EU exit work. As the negotiations continue, BEIS will reassess its requirements accordingly. Like other departments, BEIS will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU exit funding from HMT later in the year with details of timings and process to be announced in due course.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department hiring additional staff to cover issues related to the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
In the financial year 2017/18, HM Treasury allocated nearly £300m across a number of departments from the Reserve - BEIS received £35.1m of this funding, of which the majority related to staff costs.
In the financial year 2018/19, HMT allocated BEIS a supplementary £185.1m for EU exit work, of which £57.3m has been identified for staff. BEIS will keep these costs under review over the course of the current financial year.
As the negotiations continue, BEIS will reassess its requirements accordingly. Like other departments, BEIS will be invited to bid for 2019/20 EU exit funding from HMT later in the year with details of timings and process to be announced in due course.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the Government has done to ensure in negotiations with the European Commission that conformity assessments on products conducted by a UK body continue to be sufficient for the product to be sold on the EU market after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government recognises the valuable work undertaken by UK bodies in ensuring that products placed on the market have been through suitable conformity assessment. As part of negotiations on the Withdrawal Agreement, we have agreed with the EU that goods placed on the market before the end of the implementation period may freely circulate on both UK and EU markets and that compliance activity for these goods, such as conformity assessment, is recognised by both parties.
On 12th July the Government published a White Paper, which sets out a clear proposal for our future relationship with the EU. This includes a proposal for a free trade area between the UK and the EU and the maintenance of a common rulebook for goods, supported by arrangements covering all relevant compliance activity, such as conformity assessment. This would provide for frictionless trade at the border. Negotiations are ongoing, and we will continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand and represent their concerns as we develop our negotiating position.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many times Ministers of his Department have met with representatives of the British Chamber of Commerce since the 23 June 2016.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on the Gov.UK website:
Information from April to June 2018 will be published in due course.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is a key stakeholder for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and meet frequently with the Secretary of State and the other ministers. He holds weekly meetings with five major stakeholders – the BCC, the CBI, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), EEF and the Institute of Directors (IoD) to discuss issues that are affecting their members and businesses more generally. The BCC is also a member of the SME Advisory Board.
Other ministers and officials at all levels from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have had numerous meetings with the British Chambers of Commerce and continue to do so.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the extent to which (a) increased (i) levels of administration and (ii) costs will be incurred and (b) visas will be required to undertake business travel between the UK and the EU after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The Government continues to undertake a comprehensive programme of analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. The Government has confirmed that when we bring forward the vote on the final deal, we will ensure that Parliament is presented with the appropriate analysis to make an informed decision.
The Government has been clear that free movement will end as we leave the EU. We will seek to negotiate an appropriate labour mobility framework with the EU to ensure UK nationals can continue to travel to the EU for business purposes, and vice versa.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether UK (a) companies and (b) institutions will be able to participate in EU research and development projects after 2020.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
As part of our future partnership with the EU, the UK will look to establish an ambitious future agreement on science and innovation that ensures the valuable research links between us continue to grow.
The UK would like to participate in EU research and development projects after 2020 and would like the option to fully associate to the excellence-based European research and innovation programmes, including Horizon Europe (the successor to Horizon 2020) and Euratom Research and Training.
Such an association would involve an appropriate UK financial contribution linked to a suitable level of influence in line with the contribution and benefits the UK brings. The UK looks forward to discussing the detail of any future UK participation with the European Commission.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether businesses will be charged for the cost of the creation of new regulatory agencies in the UK after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Andrew Griffiths
The Government is undertaking a wide range of preparatory work looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. This includes looking at functions presently undertaken by EU agencies.
The Government’s priority is to have effective regulatory systems. Should an EU regulatory function be repatriated then in most cases this will be undertaken by an existing, rather than a new, public body.
Prior to any decisions on establishing a new public body, the Government will always examine how it might be funded in a way that meets the standards set out in ‘Managing Public Money’ for financial transparency, accountability and oversight as well as value for money for the taxpayer. Funding is considered on a case by case basis and fees and charges can only be levied where Parliament has agreed legislation permitting the funding of new bodies in this way.
We will continue to engage with businesses as we develop our approach.