Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to proceedings of the Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee on the Unified Patent Court (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2017 on 29 November 2017, what plans he has to maintain UK membership of the Unified Patent Court after the UK leaves the EU.

Although the Court is not an EU institution, it is established under an international agreement that is presently only open to EU Member States. Our future relationship with the Court will therefore be subject to negotiation with our European Partners, in order to reflect the UK’s changing status, as we leave the EU. It would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance of those negotiations, which have not yet begun.