I want to write to Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...for those businesses trading with the EU - granting Northern Ireland businesses the ability to benefit from new UK changes and ensuring that Northern Ireland households can benefit from the UK’s Brexit freedoms. The freedoms secured under the Windsor Framework have already delivered benefits for NI people and businesses, including: the application of zero rates on the installation of...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...in the world, which of course includes rock music but also classical music and opera. It is the second-largest recorded music market in the world and contributes £6.7 billion to the UK economy. Brexit has meant that there have been changes to certain arrangements. However, the A1 form process has remained relatively stable for many years.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Lords, I had not expected this to get into a Brexit ding-dong per se. The UK was more ambitious than the EU when it came to negotiating the trade and co-operation agreement but some of our proposals were rejected. I note that the TCA is reviewed every five years and, while I would not want to comment on the scope of that review, there may be opportunities in the future.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The government does not intend to review the impacts of Brexit on the London Stock Exchange. The UK is Europe’s leading hub for investment, and London continues to be the only European hub in the top ten of the Global Financial Centres Index. The government is committed to building on these strong foundations to make the UK the global capital for capital. Leaving the EU provides the...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Lords, I definitely was not lecturing the House—far be it from me to do so. However, it would obviously not be a debate without a Liberal Democrat mentioning Brexit. I am going to move on from that general observation that I am pleased that there is this political groundswell now back behind the Conservatives for lower taxes, which is excellent—
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...that has not yet been mandated in the EU. Ministers are considering what we will do, and we will make the right decision for the safety of everybody on British roads. It has got nothing to do with Brexit or otherwise, frankly; we will be deciding for ourselves.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...The current requirements for obtaining drivers’ certificates of professional competence in the EU and the UK are the same. However, the EU has decided not to recognise the UK qualifications post Brexit for use by drivers based in the EU working for companies established in the EU. Of course, it will recognise a UK driver working in Europe, from a cabotage perspective—all those things...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Lords, Brexit is not the basis of this. At the current time, Germany has a 45,000 to 60,000 HGV driver shortage, France 43,000, Spain 15,000, Italy 15,000, and Poland 124,000. This is a problem that is impacting developed countries all across the EU and in the US, which has a 61,000 shortage right at this moment in time. The noble Baroness refers to cowboys. I do not know who the cowboys...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...to put this in place. However, given the urgency of the situation, we felt that it was necessary to use the “made affirmative” procedure; it has been used before, in particular for some of the Brexit SIs, but it is not used lightly by the Government. In this case, we felt that it was entirely appropriate, given that it was a rapidly changing situation. As noble Lords will have heard...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...funding of EUR155,449,000. This is a typical percentage compared with previous years. The figures are not broken down by Member State. The CAA’s charging schemes have included funding for Brexit preparations since 2019/20, covering two financial years. This has amounted to £3.2 million. Funding prior to 2019/20 was provided by the Department for Transport. The level of fees paid by...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, and members of his committee, including the noble Baronesses, Lady Randerson and Lady Noakes, for their very thorough report in May 2019, Brexit: Road, Rail and Maritime Transport. I also thank the noble Lord, Lord Tunnicliffe, for his contribution today. While I appreciate the intended effect of the amendment proposed by the noble Lord, Lord...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: As part of preparations for a potential No Deal Brexit in March, the Government procured additional freight capacity to support the continued flow of Category 1 goods. When Article 50 was extended, £51.4m was paid to terminate contracts. The Government ran a new procurement exercise to secure freight capacity as part of preparations for Brexit on 31 October, entering into contracts for the...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...to access to the port of Holyhead is a matter for the Welsh Government. However, the Department for Transport continues to liaise closely with the Welsh Government and the Wales Office on no-deal Brexit preparations, and to provide support where requested.
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ..., but I have one here. There is a document, which has been available for quite some time, and there is also a shortened version. This document, Transporting Goods Between the UK and EU in a No-deal Brexit: Guidance for Hauliers, is available on pop-up stands as well as on GOV.UK. On the basis of my answers to these questions, and that I will write, I hope noble Lords will see fit to...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...is what the Government are trying to do today. As has been mentioned by a number of noble Lords, these powers are available in the event that there is congestion at the border caused by a no-deal Brexit, but they can also be used for bad weather and/or industrial action. The noble Viscount, Lord Hanworth, noted the use of Operation Stack in 2015. I, too, was unfortunate enough to drive...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The noble Lord is right: if there are impacts from a no-deal Brexit, we expect them to fall away. The issue here is the readiness of traders and hauliers—the former obviously being more important, as they are responsible for the documentation. If a haulier is caught by this system and has to go back to the end of the queue—for not being trader-ready and not having ready the right...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...the Port of Dover or the Channel Tunnel is significantly restricted. We are prepared to use Brock should cross-Channel disruption occur because of the UK’s departure from the EU in a no-deal Brexit, although it could, of course, also be deployed as a result of disruption resulting from bad weather or industrial action. These orders are a vital part of Operation Brock, as they will...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: ...be driven to a different location, with further driving prohibited until the issue is resolved. This draft instrument also includes provisions that would come into effect at the point of a no-deal Brexit, although it is not a no-deal SI in itself. This draft instrument amends further the changes being made to the Transport Act 1968 on EU exit day by the Drivers’ Hours and Tachographs...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: I am not entirely sure on what evidence the noble Baroness suggests that £9 million is not sufficient. It is the case that as Brexit happens and we leave the European Union we will look at our EEZ. We will be responsible for all vessels in our EEZ and it is likely that we will have to take a closer watch of what is going on within our coastal waters. It is right that we have fewer assets to...
Baroness Vere of Norbiton: I believe that the money will have come from the no-deal Brexit funds made available from the Treasury. If that is not the case, I will of course write to the noble Lord. I did not say that these contracts would not be repeated. The situation is that no deal is still the legal default, so what is going to happen next is pretty much what happened last time—