Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robert Neill and David Davis

Thursday 27th April 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

It is interesting that the Scottish National party wants to give €60 billion; I had not realised that up until now.

[Robert Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst) (Con)]

My constituents in Bromley and Chislehurst welcome the emphasis given to financial services, our largest employer. Does the Secretary of State also recognise that financial services are important to the Crown dependencies, which require protocol 3 access, which will be lost upon our leaving the EU, and also to the British overseas territory of Gibraltar? Will he make sure that those two key areas also get the full benefit of our ambitious free trade deal?

[Mr Davis]

My hon. Friend is just about old enough to remember that I have had to defend Gibraltar before. We succeeded then; we will succeed now.

Legislating for UK Withdrawal from the EU

Debate between Robert Neill and David Davis

Thursday 30th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

The hon. Gentleman should know better. The Leader of the House, who was previously a Europe Minister, was here and he made it clear, in terms, that the Prime Minister was talking about the fact that existing treaty arrangements, which will end when we leave the European Union, will fall by the wayside, so we will have to find an alternative—not our internal legal rights and privileges, but the treaty arrangements. That is the important thing.

[Robert Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst) (Con)]

I very much welcome the pragmatic approach that the Secretary of State has adopted in this document, and particularly his emphasis on legal certainty and continuity, which we all know is vital for continued business confidence and is something the Select Committee on Justice report emphasised. Does he agree that it will be important to maintain the mechanism for ensuring continuing regulatory equivalents, not only in data protection but in important areas such as the financial and other service sectors? How might that be taken forward?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Robert Neill and David Davis

Thursday 9th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Robert Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst) (Con)]

The UK legal services sector is worth some £21 billion to our economy. A good percentage of that comes from legal services provided into the European Union. Will my right hon. Friend meet the Bar Council and the Law Society to discuss what they need to retain access to that key market?

[Mr David Davis]

The short answer is that the Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester (Mr Walker), has already met them, but we will do so again. This is a very important sector. People sometimes underestimate the size of the general services sector, which is as big as the City. We have to keep that in mind.

Article 50

Debate between Robert Neill and David Davis

Monday 7th November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Davis]

I referred to the Northern Irish case, which the Government won, and the decision about whether to leapfrog it will be made tomorrow. I am entirely aware that this is a very wide constitutional issue that has to be resolved properly. That is one of the reasons I am resisting calls to do something before the Supreme Court rules on the issue. That is the proper place for the decision to be taken.

[Robert Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst) (Con)]

I am glad that the Secretary of State has characterised the decision as being a judgment. The judges were asked to answer a legal point of significant importance and they did so, rightly and faithfully, in accordance with their oath. Does he, therefore, agree that it is important for our reputation after we have left the European Union that all of us speak up for the independence of the judiciary and, above all, that we do not regard freedom of expression in the press as any excuse for personal, abusive and, frankly, disgraceful innuendo being raised against individual members of Her Majesty’s judiciary? That undermines us all.