Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that working and benefits provision is in place in the event that expats living abroad must return to the UK after the UK leaves the EU (a) in general and (b) for those expats who may not have made national insurance contributions in recent years.

The Prime Minister has made clear that she wants to protect the rights of British citizens currently living in European member states, in the same way that we want to protect the status of EU nationals already living here. The reciprocal rights and entitlements that will apply following the UK’s exit are subject to the wider negotiation on our future relationship with the EU. At every step of this negotiation the Government will seek to ensure the best possible outcome for the British people, at home and overseas.