Found: The Minister for EU relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds told this Committee “I am not proposing to publish

Found: Q21 Sarah Bool: The European Relations Minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, has basically said that he would

Found: We also welcome the appointment of The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP as Minister for the Constitution

Found: of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, as well as the earlier 1 Opinion-editorial authored by Nick Thomas-Symonds

Found: Recent engagements included the Minister for the Cabinet Office, The Rt Hon Nick Thomas- Symonds MP

Found: stated “ambition” to link the UK’s and EU’s “respective [carbon pricing] systems” (Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had on a (1) bilateral basis, or (2) EU-wide basis, about cabotage for UK musicians who are touring in the EU.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are working closely with the music industry, and engaging with the EU and EU Member States to tackle the challenges facing UK musicians and their support staff, including reduced access due to restrictions on the number and type of permitted transport movements when touring in the EU. Our aim is to identify practical solutions to ensure that UK artists can continue to perform across Europe with minimal barriers while respecting the regulatory frameworks on both sides.

On 7 April, Sir Chris Bryant attended the Informal Meeting for EU Culture Ministers in Warsaw as a guest of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This is the first time a UK minister has been invited to such a meeting since the UK’s exit from the EU. The Minister used the opportunity to forge closer, more cooperative ties with his EU counterparts, including on matters related to touring. The Minister and senior DCMS officials have previously engaged the EU on this matter bilaterally, including during an introductory call with EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Culture, Youth and Sport Glenn Micallef and in recent engagements with Polish, French, German, Italian, Danish and Swedish counterparts.

The UK Government remains in constructive dialogue with the EU on this and other EU reset priorities. Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds and Maroš Šefčovič have been tasked with moving discussions forward and leaders will take stock at the UK-EU Summit in May.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times have the specialised committees created by the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement met, and how many of these meetings have been attended by ministers.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement there are 19 Specialised Committees. These are co-chaired by a UK and EU senior official, and have met 67 times since 2021. The Specialised Committees report into the Partnership Council, which is the ministerial body set up by the TCA. It has met three times since 2021 and is currently chaired by Minster for the Cabinet Office Nick Thomas-Symonds and Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič. Further information is provided on GOV.UK.

Found: The government’s position on alignment with the EU Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for the Constitution

Found: briefing paper reviews the debate that took place in the House of Commons. 2.1 Second reading Nick Thomas-Symonds

Found: The government’s position on alignment with the EU Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for the Constitution

Found: Nick Thomas-Symonds 2024-11-04 Institute for Government To discuss delivery in government.

Found: Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nil Return Nick Thomas-Symonds

Found: Nick Thomas-Symonds MP Paymaster General and Minister for the Constitution and European

Found: Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Paymaster General and Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations

Found: I have written in similar terms to the Prime Minister and Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP

Found: Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ public@public-standards.gov.uk The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds

Found: Details Doug Chalmers, Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, wrote to Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds

Found: Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; and Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds

Found: to Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds

Found: The Rt Hon Lord Pickles Copied to: The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office

Found: The Rt Hon Lord Pickles Copied to: The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office

Found: Morgan MS, said she had met with Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds

Found: The Minister for European Union Relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, also visited Brussels in July to

Found: Other relevant ministerial appointments included:  Nick Thomas–Symonds MP as Minister for the Constitution

<p>We've set out a series of priorities for the future, particular areas where we think that there is potential for&nbsp;movement and for further agreement. So, those priorities would be around improvements to rules of origin or mobility arrangements and some more detailed technical positions, which Emily might want to come in on as well.</p>
<p>Officials are meeting, now, every other week with their counterparts in the UK Government, and both the First Minister and I have met with Nick Thomas-Symonds, in his Cabinet Office role with his responsibilities in relation to EU relations as well. So, we had those opportunities to set our priorities. But I’m also really keen that we engage fully with our stakeholders, and listen to their views and test our priorities with them to ensure that we are representing fully their views. So, I chair the trade policy advisory group, which met recently at our export conference in Cardiff, to further those discussions. So, that group is particularly helpful; it has representation from across business, but also including agriculture and other sectors. I don’t know, Emily, if you want to say a bit more about those more technical things that we would like to see as part of the discussions.</p>

<p>If I may,&nbsp;you mentioned that you're having meetings with Nick Thomas-Symonds and others, and it's good to hear that those meetings are happening. I think this committee, or these committees, did ask him to appear before us. That was declined, I believe. Would you prefer to see the UK Government Ministers engaging directly with Senedd committees on this very matter?</p>

<p>Thank you, Chair. It's a similar line of questioning just in response to Adam's questions in saying, or asking, indeed, how you assess your role as Cabinet Secretary and, indeed, the Welsh Government's role in terms of that relationship with the UK Government. Do you often feel—? In terms of what you can do, do you feel that you have to go through the UK Government or do you feel, sometimes, undermined by what the UK Government are doing or, indeed, that communication stream in terms of getting those meetings—all relevant meetings—with EU partners to have those discussions and negotiations? Do you informally in the office go, 'Oh, I wish Nick Thomas-Symonds would bugger off and just let us do what we're supposed to be doing'? I say that informally, but to put that in a—</p>

<p>No. I've had bilateral meetings with Nick Thomas-Symonds, as has the First Minister, setting out our Welsh Government priorities for those discussions. And we've also had a meeting of the inter-ministerial committee on EU relations,&nbsp;where we discussed this as well, but what we haven't seen is the final UK Government negotiating position. But we've had those discussions where we can input our particular views.</p>

<p>There is a pattern of four nations ministerial meetings to discuss infected blood, and my officials continue to press for progress between meetings. On 3 March, I met with the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Nick Thomas-Symonds, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">and Ministers from Scotland and Northern Ireland,</span></p>