Leaving the EU: Mobile Roaming Charges Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Hugh Gaffney
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Leaving the EU: Mobile Roaming Charges
Hugh Gaffney Excerpts(5 years, 9 months ago)
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Jeremy Wright
On the hon. Gentleman’s last point, I said that 85% of consumers are covered by mobile network operators that have said they have no intention of reintroducing charges. What he says is undoubtedly and self-evidently true: if a country is not a member of the European Union, it does not benefit from provisions that cover members of the European Union. The hon. Gentleman will recall that there was a debate in 2016 that took us some time, and these arguments were deployed on both sides. The UK electorate made a decision and we are enacting that decision. In the process, if there are consumer protections that we can and should continue, that is what we intend to do. That is what the measure is about.
Hugh Gaffney (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) (Lab)
Will there be an EU vote next week and an opportunity to discuss mobile roaming charges?
Jeremy Wright
As far as I can tell, we are discussing an urgent question about whether mobile roaming charges will apply after our departure from the EU. I will repeat what I have said already: we should all want, when we have the opportunity, to exercise our democratic rights to prevent no deal and vote for a deal instead. If that does not happen for any reason and no deal occurs, the Government intend to be ready for it. We intend to give consumers the protection that we still can and look forward to the Opposition’s support in doing so.