Wednesday Volume 681 30 September 2020 No. 111 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 30 September 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 319 30 SEPTEMBER 2020 320 Brandon Lewis: My right hon. Friend makes a good House of Commons point. There is a difference with businesses in Great Britain trading with Northern Ireland. Weare determined Wednesday 30 September 2020 to give them the certainty that they want and need. That is an important part of delivering on the protocol, which says that it The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock “should impact as little as possible on the everyday life of communities”. PRAYERS That means ensuring good free trade. The protocol makes it clear that there will be some changes for goods movements into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] We are consulting businesses in Northern Ireland and Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Order, working with our partners in the European Union to 4 June). deliver on that, and there will be a slimmed-down [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] Finance Bill that includes all the commitments we have made to the people of Northern Ireland that are outstanding Speaker’s Statement at that point. Mr Speaker: I remind colleagues that deferred Divisions Sir Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley) (DUP): I will take place today on two statutory instruments in echo the comments made by the right hon. Member for the Members’ Library between 11.30 am and 3.30 pm. Forest of Dean (Mr Harper). Our concern is also about Members will cast their votes by placing the completed goods travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, Division slip in one of the ballot boxes provided. I and that includes products used in the manufacturing remind colleagues of the importance of social distancing process for goods that are then sent back to Great during the deferred Divisions and ask them to pick up a Britain. Can the Secretary of State assure us that the Division slip from the Vote Office and fill it in before Finance Bill will contain specific definitions in relation they reach the Library, if possible. The result will be to goods that are not deemed at risk that are for announced in the Chamber as soon as possible after the consumption exclusively in Northern Ireland or are part Divisions are over. of the manufacturing process in Northern Ireland? Brandon Lewis: The right hon. Gentleman makes a good point. At the heart of our approach is our Oral Answers to Questions determination to ensure that trade flows freely, so that businesses trading in and with Northern Ireland can continue to trade properly. We will make full use of the NORTHERN IRELAND provisions in the protocol to deliver on that, and we will continue to discuss this with the European Union. As I say, there are still issues that we are discussing as part of The Secretary of State was asked— the free trade agreement and through the specialist Joint Internal Market: Northern Ireland and Great Britain Committee, but we will ensure that all the commitments made by myself, the Prime Minister and other colleagues Mr Mark Harper (Forest of Dean) (Con): What at the Dispatch Box are delivered through a slimmed-down progress his Department has made on ensuring unfettered Finance Bill later this year. access to the internal market for goods moving between Northern Ireland and Great Britain after the end of the Sir Jeffrey M. Donaldson: My hon. Friend the Member transition period. [906624] for Upper Bann (Carla Lockhart) and I have been meeting businesses in the agrifood sector, and they are The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Brandon particularly concerned about the definition of qualifying Lewis): We have committed to delivering unfettered businesses and qualifying goods for the purposes of the access for Northern Ireland businesses to the whole UK movement of goods from Northern Ireland to GB and market. We continue to discuss our approach to the vice versa. I understand that the Government are preparing protocol with the European Union, and we have put in a statutory instrument on that. Can the Secretary of place a safety net to ensure that qualifying goods do not State update us on the progress made to bring about face exit procedures upon leaving Northern Ireland for such a definition? the rest of the UK, delivering our promise of unfettered access. Brandon Lewis: Yes. The withdrawal agreement includes provision for the Government to define the qualifying Mr Harper: I am grateful to the Secretary of State for status for goods and businesses in Northern Ireland, as that answer, and I welcome the UK Internal Market Bill part of ensuring that they benefit from unfettered access. being passed by the House, because it does indeed put We are also engaging with businesses, as the right hon. in place the benefit for Northern Ireland businesses that Gentleman and his colleagues are. I have been engaging he describes. Can he say a bit more about how businesses with businesses—and will do so again later today—in based in my constituency, for example, can export to Northern Ireland and with the Executive to work through Northern Ireland without restrictions and how we will the means for delivering that qualifying status. There ensure that businesses and constituents in Northern will be an ability for us to deliver that, and we will do it Ireland get unrivalled access to the whole United Kingdom by secondary legislation under the withdrawal Act before market? the end of the year. 321 Oral Answers 30 SEPTEMBER 2020 Oral Answers 322 Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP): Just like not time for both the EU and the UK to act in Northern their counterparts in Kent and Scotland, Northern Ireland’s interests and deliver the certainty that businesses Irish businesses need clarity on the looming post-Brexit are crying out for? reality. The Secretary of State must know that the last-minute shambles of the Internal Market Bill delivers Mr Walker: The hon. Lady rightly calls for certainty, the exact opposite and fails to provide much-needed but in making the criticism that she does, she appears to reassurance. Does he appreciate the damage that this be criticising the protocol that her Front Benchers have lack of clarity is doing to Northern Irish businesses? been arguing that we cannot interfere with. It is essential that we deliver on the protocol and deliver certainty for Brandon Lewis: Northern Ireland businesses responded businesses, and the steps that we have taken in the UK very positively to the Command Paper and the guidelines Internal Market Bill help us to do so. I am not going to we set out earlier in the summer. The UK Internal take lectures on upholding the integrity of our Union Market Bill delivers on that and on the key objective of from a party that refuses to rule out backing a divisive guaranteeing unfettered access. I think it is a bit rich for second independence referendum in Scotland. the hon. Lady to talk about this. We are delivering unfettered access—something the SNP wants to block Louise Haigh: Those are absolutely ridiculous comments by putting another border between Scotland and the from the Minister. We have been supporting the protocol rest of the UK. and the implementation of it, and it is the divisive, law-breaking UK Internal Market Bill that has undermined UK Internal Market Bill: Effect on the Union the implementation of the protocol. While criticism from five former Prime Ministers, the leaders of three Sarah Atherton (Wrexham) (Con): What discussions Northern Ireland parties, the Speaker of the US Congress he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential and the resignation of the Government’s most senior effect of the UK Internal Market Bill on Northern Ireland’s law officer may not have concerned the Government, I place in the Union. [906625] wonder whether the comments of the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland have. Sir Declan Morgan said that The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Mr Robin the threat to break the law may have undermined public Walker): The UK’s internal market has functioned confidence in the legal system. I wonder whether the seamlessly for centuries. As the transition period ends, Minister now regrets the comments made by the Secretary we will ensure that the most successful Union of nations of State and the actions of Governments over the past in the world continues to thrive, and we will do this fortnight. while maintaining the Belfast/Good Friday agreement and the gains of the peace process. The Secretary of Mr Walker: We have been repeatedly clear through State and I regularly meet Cabinet and ministerial colleagues the passage of the Bill that we are respecting and across Government on this point, including through the delivering on the protocol. Weremain absolutely committed Cabinet Committee on Union policy implementation, to the peace process, the Good Friday agreement and to which is driving forward the Government’sUnion strategy. acting within the UK’s constitutional set-up, and that is what we will continue to do. Sarah Atherton: To continue a theme, Wrexham has one of the largest trading estates in the UK, and trading Northern Ireland: 100-Year Anniversary with Northern Ireland via Holyhead port is vital for Wrexham’s future growth. Will the Minister give us Marco Longhi (Dudley North) (Con): What steps his reassurances that from January, seamless trade around Department is taking to mark the 100-year anniversary the UK will continue as it is essential to our Union’s of Northern Ireland.