Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have allocated funds for work to find an alternative to the Withdrawal Agreement Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland; and if so, what level of funds have been allocated.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Prime Minister announced on the 26th February that alternative arrangements to the backstop will be a priority for the UK and EU during the next phase of negotiations.
The Government intends to establish three advisory groups to help inform the UK’s negotiations with the EU. The Government will make available £20m of funding to support the development, testing or piloting of ideas that emerge from these groups where the Government believes it would be helpful.