Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many European airports allowed UK passengers to use e-gates on 19 May, and how many do so now.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Rt. Hon Lord to the answer provided on 5th June 2025 to PQ HL7659.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the news story about the UK–EU reset agreement published on 19 May, how they calculated that the agreement would add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy by 2040, who did the calculation, and whether they will place a copy of the calculation and any related modelling in the Library of the House.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Combined, the SPS (£5.1 billion) and Emissions Trading Systems linking (£3.8 billion) measures alone are set to add nearly £9 billion a year to the UK economy by 2040, in a significant boost for growth. These are government estimates, and methodology notes published following the Summit will be deposited to the Library of the House in due course.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 4 September (HL Deb col 909), at which Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) meetings the UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary partnership has been discussed; which CPTPP members participated in those discussions; and whether any members raised concerns about the nature of the prospective partnership.
Answered by Lord Leong - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The EU-UK SPS Agreement was raised as a short item of ‘Any Other Business’ at the 7th meeting of the CPTPP Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures on July 3-4, 2025, which all CPTPP Parties attended.
The UK reaffirmed that we remain fully committed to our trade obligations under CPTPP and will not be rejoining the EU’s single market or customs union. The Committee noted the UK’s update and welcomed the UK’s offer to keep CPTPP members informed of developments.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commemorate in 2027 the 1100th anniversary of England's establishment as a unified state under King Athelstan in 927.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I am not aware of any government plans to specifically commemorate the 1100th anniversary of England's establishment as a unified state under King Æthelstan in 927.
However, DCMS's Arms-Length Body, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has recently funded 2 projects that explore Æthelstan and his history.
In the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, where Æthelstan was crowned in 925, in November 2024 the NLHF gave a grant of over £178k to support the council to deliver Kingston 2025: Celebrating our past, present, and future. The project invites visitors to ‘immerse themselves in all things Saxon’, showcasing the skills and trade of Æthelstan’s era.
In Malmesbury, the town in which Æthelstan was buried at his own request, in April 2024 a NLHF grant of over £14k has supported local organisation, Malmesbury Town Team, to deliver Æthelstan 1100's The Big Dig - Revealing Malmesbury's Story. Working with archaeologists and historians, the project has engaged schools, volunteers and residents in a wide range of activities exploring the town's past. The Big Dig uncovered finds from every period of Malmesbury's history except Roman, including pottery from the time of Æthelstan.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 21 July (HC68604) on the Independent Review of the Windsor Framework, whether a date has yet been set for the publication of the Review.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland laid a copy of the report in Parliament and transmitted a copy to the Northern Ireland Assembly on 4 September 2025, which was confirmed to this House on the same day in Written Ministerial Statement HLWS907. The report has also been made available online.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the UK–EU Agreement in Respect of Gibraltar: Joint Statement on 11 June, whether Gibraltar will be required to align with the EU single market.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Specific practical arrangements have been agreed on the movement of people and goods to facilitate the removal of immigration and customs checks on people crossing the land border between Gibraltar and the EU. To enable this fluid movement, the Government of Gibraltar has agreed that all goods circulating in Gibraltar will be compliant with EU rules. This will be achieved by imported goods being pre-cleared in the EU before moving to Gibraltar. Movement of services and capital are not in scope of the UK-EU Agreement.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the UK–EU Agreement in Respect of Gibraltar: Joint Statement on 11 June, whether Gibraltar will have the right to set its own indirect tax rates.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Yes. Under this Agreement Gibraltar will continue to have freedom to set its own indirect tax rates on the services industries that are critical to its economy and ongoing prosperity. As part of this Agreement, the Government of Gibraltar has chosen to align the rate of its import duty on goods to the minimum rate of Value Added Tax applied in the EU.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the UK-EU Agreement in Respect of Gibraltar: Joint statement on 11 June, whether any stay by a British citizen in Gibraltar will count towards the 90-day limit within a 180-day period for third-country nationals entering the Schengen area.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Non-resident British nationals can currently visit Gibraltar for up to 90 days. The same will be the case under this agreement. As visitors will be free to cross into Spain without checks, time spent in Gibraltar will count towards the European Union's 90 in 180 requirement. Immigration into Gibraltar is, and will remain, the responsibility of the Government of Gibraltar. This agreement provides a solution to the unique situation in Gibraltar. It ensures a fluid border to deliver certainty for the people and businesses of Gibraltar and has the full support of its Government.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the UK-EU Agreement in Respect of Gibraltar: Joint statement on 11 June providing for "a future customs union between the EU and Gibraltar", whether Gibraltar will be required to align with the EU's external trade policy; and if so, what will be the legal framework for UK-Gibraltar trade.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Trade between the UK and Gibraltar is almost exclusively in services. Trade in services is not in scope of this agreement so the legal framework for UK-Gibraltar trade in this respect is unchanged. The UK and Gibraltar remain separate customs jurisdictions, and goods trade between the two will continue to be governed by the respective arrangements of both. Duties will apply to UK goods moving to Gibraltar as they do today and vice versa. In order to facilitate the removal of customs checks at the land border, Gibraltar has decided to align some aspects of its import regime with that of the European Union. It will not be required to align with all aspects of European Union external trade policy and can still be part of UK free trade agreements to the same extent Gibraltar has been previously, namely relevant services chapters.
Asked by: Lord Frost (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the UK-EU Agreement in Respect of Gibraltar: Joint statement on 11 June, whether British citizens entering Gibraltar who do not intend to leave the territory will have to go through Schengen area entry checks, and whether access to the territory by British citizens could be rejected by Schengen area officials.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
As is the case today, there will be no automatic right of entry into Gibraltar for non-resident British nationals. To unlock the benefits of a fluid border, all individuals arriving at the airport will undergo dual immigration controls allowing them to move freely into the European Union if they wish to. Immigration and entry to Gibraltar will remain the responsibility of the Gibraltarian authorities. Spain will only be responsible for granting entry to the Schengen area.