Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2017 to Question 8561, what the evidential basis is for his statement that Parliament has agreed that the Government need not publish anything that would undermine its ability to negotiate the best deal for the UK.

On 12 October 2016 the House of Commons agreed to an amended Opposition motion which stated that the parliamentary scrutiny process should be undertaken in such a way that does not undermine the negotiating position of the Government as negotiations are entered into.

On 7 December 2016 the House of Commons also voted in favour of an amended Opposition motion which stated that there should be no disclosure of material that could be reasonably judged to damage the UK in any negotiations to withdraw from the European Union after Article 50 has been triggered.