Lords to question Minister for the Constitution and Devolution on post-Brexit common frameworks
Monday 30 November 2020
The House of Lords Common Frameworks Scrutiny Committee will tomorrow question the Rt Hon. Chloe Smith MP, the minister responsible for overseeing common frameworks in the UK Government, on the successes, challenges and future of the common frameworks programme.
The session will take place virtually on Tuesday 1 December 2020 at 10.15am and can be followed on Parliament TV.
Questions the Committee is likely to ask Ms Smith include:
- What progress has been made on the common frameworks programme over the past six months? How has the relationship with the devolved governments evolved during this time?
- What does the Government see as the role for common frameworks in areas where the Internal Market Bill overrides the frameworks and how does it view the amendment agreed by the House on 18 November?
- Why has there been a delay to the timetable for agreeing the common frameworks and does the Government still anticipate the same number of frameworks?
- What concerns are there about future divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to what extent could this be managed through the common frameworks process?
Last month the Committee Chair, Baroness Andrews, wrote to Ms Smith highlighting the Committee’s observations following its early experience of considering Framework Summaries.
The Committee requested more detail in the Framework Summaries, particularly on the dispute settlement processes. The letter also highlighted the need for a clearer explanation of the legislation that is related to a particular framework and for more information on stakeholder engagement. Ms Smith’s reply is available on the Committee's website.
