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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing reforms to the UK's corporate insolvency framework to remove potential barriers to the resolution of cross-border insolvencies after the UK leaves the EU.

The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill 2017-19 currently before Parliament will give Government the powers it needs to correct inoperabilities in the law following withdrawal, and preparations for a range of outcomes are under way.

The exact future relationship between the EU and UK on civil judicial cooperation, including the recognition of insolvency and restructuring procedures and judgments, is subject to negotiations with our EU partners. The Government has made clear that an effective framework of civil judicial cooperation is an important part of the deep and special partnership we want to establish with the EU. It is in the interests of the UK and the EU that there continues to be an effective framework for resolving cross-border legal disputes after we leave.