Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Alan Brown Excerpts
Wednesday 12th December 2018

(6 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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Patrick Grady Portrait Patrick Grady (Glasgow North) (SNP)
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10. What assessment she has made of the potential effect of the EU withdrawal agreement on Northern Ireland.

Alan Brown Portrait Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP)
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12. What assessment she has made of the potential effect of the EU withdrawal agreement on Northern Ireland.

Virendra Sharma Portrait Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)
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13. What assessment her Department has made of the effect on Northern Ireland of the UK leaving the EU.

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Karen Bradley Portrait Karen Bradley
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I think that it is clear that this Government want to see us go into the future relationship with the European Union by 31 December 2020 and that the backstop is an insurance policy that none of us wants to see activated.

Alan Brown Portrait Alan Brown
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Article 5 of the Ireland-Northern Ireland protocol on the withdrawal agreement, which states that

“free movement for Union citizens and their family members, irrespective of their nationality, to, from and within Ireland”,

means that people will be able to move about as part of the common travel area. So with the end of free movement post Brexit, what additional checks will be imposed on people travelling to and from Northern Ireland from the UK mainland?

Karen Bradley Portrait Karen Bradley
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The hon. Gentleman does not understand the way that the common travel area works today and the fact there is free movement across the island of Ireland for all citizens and nationalities. Of course there is a good working relationship between the Border Force agencies in Northern Ireland and their equivalents in the Republic, so that we can ensure that those who do not have the right to be in the United Kingdom do not access the United Kingdom.