Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of progress on the three initial divorce issues and whether this is sufficient to begin trade negotiations after the EU Council in December.
Answered by Robin Walker
In response to an Urgent Question in the House this afternoon on progress with negotiations on exiting the EU, the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU said that:
"We held further talks in Brussels over the past few days and progress has been made. But we have not yet reached a final conclusion. However, I believe we are now close to concluding the first phase of the negotiations - and moving on to talk about our future trade relations. There is much common understanding, and both sides agree that we must move forward together. Our aims in this negotiation remain as they always have been.”
“As was made clear by the comments from President Juncker and President Tusk yesterday, all parties remain confident of reaching a positive conclusion in the course of the week.”
“In particular, on the issue of Northern Ireland and Ireland we have been clear that we want to protect all elements of the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement, to maintain the Common Travel Area and to protect associated rights. We want to ensure there is no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. We recognise that as we exit we must respect the integrity of the EU single market and the customs union.
“But we are equally clear that we must respect the integrity of the United Kingdom. There remain some final issues to resolve, which require further negotiation and consultation over the coming days. Our officials are in continuous contact and we expect to reconvene in Brussels later this week for further negotiations."
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Oral Statement of 28 November 2017, Official Report, column 161, on leaving the EU: sectoral impact assessments, how many pages of material have been withheld in addition to the 850 pages submitted to the Exiting the European Union Committee.
Answered by Robin Walker
In order to meet the motion of 1st November, we have taken time to bring together the sectoral analyses in a way that is accessible and informative to the Committee. We have not edited or redacted reports. At the time the motion was passed, and subsequently, we were clear that the documents did not exist in the form requested.
The Government has to be mindful of its obligations not to allow sensitive information to be public, so we have sought not to include commercially, market and negotiation sensitive information, but we have been as open as possible. The material we have provided to the Select Committee is very substantial.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a future Association Agreement for the UK with the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Prime Minister has been clear that we’re seeking a deal that works for the whole of the UK – not an off the shelf solution. For instance, we are seeking a bold and ambitious Free Trade Agreement that is of greater scope and ambition than any such existing agreement.
As the Government has already made clear, we are undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work that will contribute to our exit negotiations, help to define our future partnership with the EU, and inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, for what reason his policy of incorporating EU law into UK law excludes the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK has a longstanding tradition of ensuring our rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. The Charter of Fundamental Rights (the Charter) only applies to Member States when acting within the scope of EU law. The Charter did not create any new rights. Instead it was intended to catalogue the rights that already existed in EU law, and the bill sets out how this underlying law is being converted into UK law at the point we exit the EU. Therefore it is no longer appropriate, nor will it make sense in the context of the UK's exit from the EU, to retain the Charter in UK law.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will publish or place in the Library records of his negotiation meetings with his EU counterparts.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Department for Exiting the European Union does not plan to publish or place in the Library records of negotiation meetings with the European Union. To ensure that Parliament is kept informed during the negotiations, the Secretary of State has committed to delivering an oral statement to Parliament after each negotiating round. The Secretary of State will deliver an oral statement on 5 September following the second and third rounds of the negotiations which took place during recess.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his most recent assessment is of the prospects for frictionless trade with the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
We have been clear that the Government’s objective remains to secure trade with Europe that is tariff-free and as frictionless as possible. We will pursue an ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU to achieve this. Both the UK and EU Member States benefit from our close trading relationship – the EU is the UK’s largest export market and the UK is the largest goods export market for the EU27 taken as a whole – so it is in both of our interests. Furthermore, we start from a unique position – with close regulatory alignment, trust in one another’s institutions, and a spirit of cooperation stretching back decades.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans that the Great Repeal Bill will include measures already agreed by the EU but not yet implemented in the UK.
Answered by David Jones
Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force.
The Government will bring forward legislation in the next session that, when enacted, will repeal the European Communities Act 1972 and ensure a functioning statute book on the day we leave.
This Great Repeal Bill will preserve EU law as it applies on the day we leave, allowing Parliament to make changes to account for the outcome of the exit negotiations.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the effect of leaving the EU on access to healthcare for UK nationals living in other EEA countries; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
While the people of the UK have voted to leave the European Union, until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force, including the rights associated with accessing healthcare abroad.
Nothing has yet been decided on the future of the current reciprocal healthcare arrangements. The Government is considering the various options that may be available and it would be wrong to set out unilateral positions in advance of the negotiation process. At every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best outcome possible for the UK – this includes UK nationals living in other EU countries.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how much his Department has spent on (a) consultancy, (b) legal and (c) accountancy fees since it was created.
Answered by David Jones
a) The Department for Exiting the European Union has used the services of a number of consultancy firms to support departmental set-up and planning. The cost to the public purse on each occasion was either nil, a nominal fee or at the same rate as a civil service salary.
b) The Department has sought legal advice from the Government Legal Department and external organisations. We will not be providing a running commentary but costs associated with the ongoing Article 50 litigation will be published in due course.
c) The Department has not incurred any accountancy fees to date.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs in the UK dependent on UK financial services passporting to the EU single market.
Answered by Robin Walker
DExEU, supported by other departments across Government, is carrying out a programme of sectoral and regulatory analysis. We are conducting analysis on over 50 sectors within the areas of goods; services; financial services; network industries; and agriculture and fisheries. We are also carrying out analysis on cross-cutting regulations. Together with extensive stakeholder engagement, all this analysis will be used to inform the Government’s approach to, and during, the negotiations.
There are a range of factors affecting the financial services sector, of which passporting is one. In negotiating our future relationship with Europe we are determined to maintain this country’s position as a global leader in financial services.