Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of pursuing an agreement with the EU on data access to reduce the costs of UK Regulation, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals for industrial enterprises.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU includes a Chemicals Annex to facilitate trade in chemicals. During negotiations the EU did not wish to progress discussions on data sharing. They view access to this data as only for members of the Single Market, and therefore any data sharing arrangement would require the EU to change their very clear position on the matter.
Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards developing an extradition agreement with the European Union to replace the Dublin Regulation.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK has an extradition arrangement with the European Union via the UK EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. This provides for streamlined cooperation and safeguards for extradition requests between the UK and EU Member States.
This does not replace the EU’s Dublin Regulation, which the UK is no longer bound by.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish a response to Early Day Motion 614 on Aviation safety and licensing.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The UK Government recognises the essential commitment that aviation professionals have made to help secure the future of the Aviation industry, and that this is a time of uncertainty as the previous ways of working with Europe are changing. We continue to work closely with industry and stakeholders to ensure that we make best use of the opportunities we now have, to protect and enhance the sector’s skills and talent now and in the future as we recover from the Covid19 Pandemic.
The UK has now left the EU and EASA system and has agreed a high level Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), including an Annex on Aviation Safety. We maintain a productive dialogue with EASA and EU member states on aviation matters, and the Specialised Committee on Aviation Safety has been established.
The UK Government places the highest importance on ensuring that the opportunities arising from our exit from the EU are realised. Withdrawing from the EU means we have more autonomy to tailor aviation regulation according to the UK’s competitive needs, while also adhering to international standards. Should an agreement in the form of a further Annex on licensing be assessed to be in the UK’s overall interest, the Government could pursue this. However such an agreement would also require willingness from the EU, whose interest so far has been in implementing the current details of the TCA.
The UK Government cannot unilaterally commit to work that requires agreement from both parties. We will continue to work to ensure an effective licensing regime that supports UK aviation, to deliver effective implementation of the existing agreement with the EU, and to explore any possible future areas of co-operation.
The Department for Transport launched the Aviation Skills Retention Platform earlier this year, to offer support and help for UK license holders and the aviation sector. This platform will allow both current and former aviation sector workers who are currently out of work to register their skills, so they can be notified of relevant jobs opportunities, advice, and upskilling opportunities. This platform is a tool for the future, which will aim to retain vital skills within the industry and help address the skills gap that existed prior to the pandemic. The scheme is open to anyone from the aviation sector who is looking for a vacancy. More information can be found at: www.aviationtalent.co.uk
Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to conclude a bespoke visa waiver agreement with the EU for the creative sector.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
UK citizens going to the EU for shorts stays and EU, EEA and Swiss citizens visiting the UK are already visa free. Musicians and performers can already undertake short-term touring without visas and permits in at least 18 Member States.
EU visa waiver agreements are also subject to the provisions of Article 6 (3) of REGULATION (EU) 2018/1806 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL which sets out an individual Member State may still decide to require a visa for short stays for people carrying out a paid activity during their stay.
The EU’s draft text for the Trade and Cooperation Agreement included a visa waiver agreement, which would have prohibited the parties from introducing visa requirement on visitors from the other party unless those visitors were carrying out a paid activity (i.e. service supply or performance) during their stay. In the event they were carrying out a paid activity individual Member States could apply a visa requirement to this category of service suppliers. The ability of the UK to apply visas would have been restricted only to reciprocating by applying a visa requirement to the same category supplier for the individual member state.
The EU’s proposal would also have prevented the UK from introducing or maintaining visit visas on any future EU Member State, not just on existing ones. In effect handing to the European Union the ability to make a country a non-visa national for travel to the UK without the consent or approval of the UK.
The Government is now focusing on bilateral engagement with Member States to encourage them to more closely align with the UK's generous regime.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 12 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, how many (a) EU and (b) Government representatives are members of the Trade Specialised Committee on Regulatory Cooperation; and how often that committee has met.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) establishes a Partnership Council to oversee implementation of the Agreement. The Partnership Council is supported by a network of other committees, including the Trade Partnership Committee and 18 Specialised Committees. Together, these fora enable the UK and EU to discuss the effective implementation of our trade deal.
The TCA Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination met on 6 July. The Specialised Committee on Fisheries is scheduled for 20 July. No other TCA Committee has yet met. The EU and UK have to agree meeting dates jointly. We are currently working with the EU to agree dates for other Specialised Committee meetings. The UK and EU co-chairs of each TCA Committee and Working Group determine their respective delegations to each meeting. Numbers in each delegation will vary between meetings, depending on what agenda items are scheduled for discussion.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 12 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement published on 24 December 2020, how many (a) EU and (b) UK Government representatives sit on the Trade Specialised Committee on Regulatory Cooperation.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) establishes a Partnership Council to oversee implementation of the Agreement. The Partnership Council is supported by a network of other committees, including the Trade Partnership Committee and 18 Specialised Committees. Together, these fora enable the UK and EU to discuss the effective implementation of our trade deal.
The TCA Specialised Committee on Social Security Coordination met on 6 July. The Specialised Committee on Fisheries is scheduled for 20 July. No other TCA Committee has yet met. The EU and UK have to agree meeting dates jointly. We are currently working with the EU to agree dates for other Specialised Committee meetings. The UK and EU co-chairs of each TCA Committee and Working Group determine their respective delegations to each meeting. Numbers in each delegation will vary between meetings, depending on what agenda items are scheduled for discussion.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there have been bilateral discussions between the UK Government and individual EU states on cross-border workers, similar to agreements between France and partners on exemptions to Article 13 of EC Regulation 883/2004.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has been working with the EU to protect the social security position of workers moving between the UK and the EU. Reciprocal arrangements have been put in place covering all EU member states which allow HMRC to disregard changes to individuals’ work locations caused solely by COVID-related restrictions when deciding where these workers pay their social security contributions.
This includes multi-state workers who are covered by Article 13 of Regulation (EC) 883/2004 under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement or by Article SSC.12 of the Protocol on Social Security Coordination in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has taken steps to establish exemption rules with the EU for cross-border workers during the covid-19 pandemic from Article SSC.12 of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement Protocol on Social Security Coordination.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government has been working with the EU to protect the social security position of workers moving between the UK and the EU. Reciprocal arrangements have been put in place covering all EU member states which allow HMRC to disregard changes to individuals’ work locations caused solely by COVID-related restrictions when deciding where these workers pay their social security contributions.
This includes multi-state workers who are covered by Article 13 of Regulation (EC) 883/2004 under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement or by Article SSC.12 of the Protocol on Social Security Coordination in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to negotiate the automatic mutual recognition of professional qualifications with the EU for (a) architects and (b) other professions.
Answered by Paul Scully
The recognition of professional qualifications is important for individuals wishing to practise their chosen profession outside the jurisdiction in which they qualified. It is for this reason that UK negotiators worked hard to secure a best-in-class Free Trade Agreement with the EU, which includes a framework for regulators and professional bodies to agree the recognition of professional qualifications for specific professions. It is important that regulators are able to maintain professional standards. In negotiating recognition arrangements such as mutual recognition agreements, it is for UK regulators and professional bodies to decide what arrangements – including, potentially, on automatic recognition - they want to agree with their EU counterparts.
The Government is supporting the Architects Regulation Board (ARB) as they explore recognition arrangements under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement with their European counterparts through the forum of the Architects’ Council of Europe. The ARB also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland in December 2020.
The Government has also established a dedicated team to support regulators and professional bodies to enter recognition arrangements with their international counterparts. The team is working with regulators and professional bodies across the UK’s professions and sectors to progress this work.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the compatibility of any changes to the regulation of genetic engineering in food and farming in England with the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
All consultation responses will be taken into account and analysed regardless of type. Free text responses will be analysed using well-established methodology from social sciences for the analysis of qualitative data, in line with standard practice for the analysis of public consultations. All views are being considered, whether or not they use technical language, and no weighting will be applied to more technical responses.
Prior to its publication, the Gene editing (GE) explainer document was reviewed by Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser and Defra’s communications team. This ensured that the information was scientifically accurate and pitched so that a lay person could understand it.
We are gathering views and evidence on trade as part of the our consultation process. We will continue to monitor and respond to the approach taken in the EU to the regulation of GMOs.
Defra officials have regular ongoing discussions with Scottish and Welsh Government counterparts about the regulation of genetically modified organisms. These discussions are considering the impact of any potential changes to the regulation of genetic engineering in food and farming in England.
Owing to the application of Union law to Northern Ireland by virtue of the Northern Ireland Protocol, GE organisms will in Northern Ireland continue to be considered as GMOs and regulated as such.