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  • Peter Bone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Peter Bone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the value of the pound on the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

    Simon Kirby

    The UK has an inflation target, not an exchange rate target, and the Government does not express a view on the level of the exchange rate. Instead, the exchange rate is allowed to adjust flexibly in response to economic conditions and movements in sterling are determined by market forces.

    The UK economy is fundamentally strong and is well-placed to deal with the challenges, and take advantage of the opportunities, that lie ahead. HM Government is not giving a running commentary on our exit negotiations.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what meetings he has had with representatives of major sectors of the UK economy since he assumed office.

    Mr David Jones

    Government officials are carrying out a programme of sectoral and regulatory analysis, which will identify the key factors for British businesses and the labour force that will affect our negotiations with the EU. They are looking in detail at over 50 sectors and cross-cutting regulatory issues.

    Details of Ministerial meetings will be published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if it his policy to advocate for passporting for British financial services after the UK leaves the EU; and what steps the Government is taking to retain passporting for British financial services.

    Simon Kirby

    The “passporting” arrangements set out in the various pieces of EU financial services legislation are open to members of the EU and the EEA.

    Since the referendum, HM Treasury has been working to assess in detail the implications for the UK-based financial services sector of existing “passporting” arrangements, of alternative market access arrangements which exist for countries outside the EU (known as equivalence), and of other interactions between UK and EU markets within and beyond EU law.

    We are clear that the rights to access EU markets currently provided by these “passporting” arrangements are of great importance to the many UK-based financial services firms that make use of them.

    As the Chancellor has said, we will place a very high priority on getting the right solution with our European Union partners for the financial services sector. Our objective will be to ensure that the parts of the financial services sector that do business in Europe are able to continue doing so.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Great Repeal Bill will incorporate all existing EU (a) regulations, (b) Directives and (c) Decisions into UK law.

    Mr David Jones

    The Government will bring forward legislation in the next session that, when enacted, will repeal the European Communities Act 1972 on the day we leave the EU, ending the authority of EU law and returning power to the UK. The Bill will give consumers, workers and businesses as much certainty as possible by maintaining law wherever practicable and desirable.

    The Bill will convert current EU law (including regulations and directives) into domestic law, while allowing for amendments to take account of the future negotiated UK-EU relationship. The Government will then, in slower time, consider the domestic law changes which will be needed to give effect to new policies developed post EU exit.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many staff in his Department are working on the Great Repeal Bill; and how many staff in his Department he expects to be working on that Bill by the time of its Second Reading.

    Mr David Jones

    The Department for Exiting the European Union now has over 250 staff plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels. This includes teams working on the Great Repeal Bill, and the Department is growing rapidly.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether UK projects earmarked for EU funding in 2019-20 under the EU’s 2014-2020 budget cycle will continue to receive such funds should the UK formally leave the EU in 2019.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Treasury has provided a guarantee for multi-year funds that may carry over after exit where they meet UK priorities and value for money criteria.

    The Treasury has also guaranteed all direct, competitively bid projects between UK organisations and the European Commission signed before we leave the EU, and the current level of direct payments to farmers until 2020.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions the Government has had with the European Investment Bank on continued investment in the UK following the UK leaving the EU; and how many loans were issued by the European Investment Bank to projects in each region of the UK in the 2015-16 fiscal year.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the UK Governor of the European Investment Bank and continues to fulfil his governance duties. The Chancellor continues to meet his European counterparts on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues.

    The EIB publish all loans made to UK borrowers as well as details on future projects yet to be financed. In 2015 the EIB lent over €7.77bn to UK projects. The link below provides full details on EIB lending to the UK.

    http://www.eib.org/projects/regions/european-union/united-kingdom/index.htm

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of whether Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty is revocable once invoked.

    Mr Robin Walker

    We must leave in the way agreed in law by Britain and other member states, which means following the process set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union. There is no precedent for a country triggering Article 50, let alone seeking to reverse such a decision. A clear majority of the electorate voted to leave the EU and we will respect the will of the people of the United Kingdom.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to protect UK industries from non-tariff barriers after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Robin Walker

    My Department is considering the full range of possible non-tariff barriers to trade across all areas of importance to the UK economy, and assessing ways in which these might be addressed.

    The Government is committed to securing an agreement which will give British businesses the best possible arrangements to trade with, and operate within, the European market.

    As the Prime Minister has said, the UK will remain the most passionate, consistent and convincing global advocate of free trade. We will seize the opportunities of our departure from the EU to forge a new role for the UK in the world.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of deaths caused by the naval blockade of Yemeni ports; and what part the UK has played in that blockade.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    There is no blockade, although some measures were put in place to prevent the flow of arms to Yemen. We welcomed the Government of Yemen’s announcement in October 2015 that all of Yemen’s ports were open.

    It is vital that commercial shipments of food and fuel enter the country to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis. That is why the Department for International Development is providing £1.42 million to support the establishment of the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM), which became operational on 5 May. It is successfully verifying, and where necessary inspecting, ships in line with UNSCR 2216 (2015). This should speed up the clearance process for ships and improve commercial confidence, increasing supply and in turn aiming to reduce the price of basic goods. We call on all parties to facilitate and respect the operation of UNVIM.