Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether an assessment was made of the potential merits of appointing the (a) Law Society of Scotland and (b) Faculty of Advocates as a member of the Domestic Advisory Group under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Members of the UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) were selected following an Expression of Interest (EoI) process in October/November 2021. At the first DAG meeting, members requested greater representation, in particular from Northern Ireland. The Government therefore reopened the EoI process between August - September 2022 to create a small number of additional places. The Law Society of Scotland and Faculty of Advocates applied at this second stage.

All applications were considered carefully, balancing the need for sectoral and geographic representation of civil society organisations, while also keeping the group small enough for all members to be able to contribute effectively. The Government will keep membership of the DAG under review.