Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has had discussions with businesses on their concerns on the effect on supply chains of the UK leaving the EU.

Since the referendum, the Department has engaged with over 2500 businesses and representative organisations across sectors, both here and in Europe, to deepen our understanding of the key business priorities and opportunities after our withdrawal. This dialogue has included hearing businesses views on supply chain preparedness and on the importance of issues such as the need for an Implementation Period.

The agreement on the Implementation Period gives businesses, particularly SMEs, the clarity and confidence that market access and common regulatory rules will remain in place until the end of 2020, meaning businesses will be able to trade on the same terms as now and that businesses will have the time to respond to one set of changes.