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 likelihood of reaching an agreement with the EU on free trade in services; and if he will make a statement.

On 15 December the European Council confirmed that sufficient progress had been made to move onto the second phase of negotiations relating to our future partnership with the EU.

We will pursue the freest possible trade in services between the UK and the EU. And we are confident that such an agreement is in the interests of both sides.