Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the data paper on Northern Ireland’s trade and investment under no deal, published by the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy, whether the figure of up to 40,000 jobs losses within key industries in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement is the Government's current assessment; and what estimate his Department has made of the effect on Northern Ireland's (a) economy, (b) unemployment rate and (c) key industries of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Overall, the cumulative impact from a ‘no-deal’ scenario is expected to be more severe in Northern Ireland than in Great Britain, and to last for longer. In a no-deal scenario there is an expectation of disruption to closely interwoven supply chains and increasing costs that would affect the viability of many businesses across Northern Ireland.

I have been working closely with colleagues across Government and engaging with the Northern Ireland Civil Service in our exit preparations.

The Government will continue to uphold the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all circumstances; it will continue to maintain existing Common Travel Area arrangements for British and Irish citizens between Ireland and the United Kingdom; and it is committed to doing everything in its power to preserve an open border in Northern Ireland, under no circumstances will it put in place infrastructure, checks, or controls at the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.