Contributions
485 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPost Brexit: Economic and Political OpportunitiesI very much agree with the thrust of my noble friend’s question. More than 60 trade treaties were rolled over last year, and a number of others are now under negotiation with the…25 Mar 2021HANSARDPost Brexit: Economic and Political OpportunitiesMy Lords, the UK’s future economic and political opportunities are maximised by the ability we now have to set laws which suit this country’s needs, rather than the lowest common…25 Mar 2021HANSARDPost Brexit: Economic and Political OpportunitiesMy Lords, I very much agree with the noble Lord that we have great opportunities on the world stage after Brexit. This year the G7 summit and COP 26 meeting are among the most…25 Mar 2021HANSARDPost Brexit: Economic and Political OpportunitiesMy Lords, I have, of course, read the full and thoughtful report produced by the noble Earl’s committee, which was published on Monday, on this question and many others. We think…25 Mar 2021HANSARDProtocol on Ireland/Northern IrelandMy noble friend is absolutely right; Northern Ireland is not subject to some sort of co-governance arrangement with the EU. Northern Ireland is fully part of the United Kingdom,…25 Mar 2021HANSARDProtocol on Ireland/Northern IrelandIn answer to the first part of the question, I say that we work very closely with companies wishing to trade into Northern Ireland and have set up a movement assistance scheme…25 Mar 2021HANSARDProtocol on Ireland/Northern IrelandMy Lords, the European Union has a number of SPS and veterinary agreements with third countries based on equivalence, not dynamic alignment. We continue to be open to an…25 Mar 2021HANSARDProtocol on Ireland/Northern IrelandMy Lords, the temporary operational measures announced by the Government earlier this month were taken to avoid disruption to supermarket supplies and parcel deliveries, in…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, the British people voted to end free movement in 2016 and that was a central part of our approach to the negotiations in 2020. The specific proposal made by the European…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, the noble Lord is absolutely correct to say that the future of the protocol depends on the consent of the elected representatives and the people of Northern Ireland. If…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, the people of Northern Ireland must of course have access to a wide availability of medicines and pharmaceutical products, just as in any other part of the UK. There is,…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, I very much agree that dialogue is extremely important. I and my team are in constant touch with Vice-President Šefčovič and his teams, and of course my right honourable…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, the downside to a Swiss-style SPS or veterinary agreement is that it would require our food and drink sector to accept not laws that were made in this country but the…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, the noble Lord is correct in the implication of his question: that the protocol must be implemented in a way which protects the Belfast/Good Friday agreement in all its…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, this Government stand fully behind the Belfast/Good Friday agreement. It is central to our policy on Northern Ireland. The most important thing about the Northern…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, the best way of dealing with the issues that are arising on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland is for the Northern Ireland protocol to be implemented in a…25 Mar 2021HANSARDNorthern Ireland and Great Britain: TradeMy Lords, we are committed to and have legislated to ensure unfettered access for Northern Ireland goods moving to the rest of the UK market as a unilateral UK matter. As to…25 Mar 2021HANSARDPost Brexit: Economic and Political OpportunitiesMy Lords, the ongoing pandemic is clearly having a significant effect on the economic situation in Europe and in the UK. That cannot be removed from the economic situation we are…25 Mar 2021HANSARDPost Brexit: Economic and Political OpportunitiesMy Lords, the economic situation is clearly hugely influenced by many factors including stock building, the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the effects…25 Mar 2021HANSARDPost Brexit: Economic and Political OpportunitiesMy Lords, the UK is very much a services-based economy and the success of our services industries in all areas is essential for our future prosperity. We are well aware of the…25 Mar 2021