Key Facts

• The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill is being debated.
• New clause 4 proposes extending the implementation period unless conditions including a trade agreement and Parliamentary approval are met by June 15, 2020.
• New clause 36 requires seeking an extension if agreements on trade and security have not been completed by June 1, 2020.
• Clause 1 secures membership for the period.
• Clause 2 saves EU-derived domestic legislation during the implementation period.
• During the implementation period, all references to European Union citizens will include UK nationals.
• The Bill ensures continuity of rights for EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU.
• Clause 1 ensures legal continuity during the implementation period.
• Clause 3 provides for five applications of powers, including adding glosses and making exceptions to cover unforeseen issues.
• Clause 4 gives devolved authorities the power to do similar technical changes.
• Clause 4 provides devolved authorities with powers to make technical changes during the implementation period.
• Clause 5 ensures direct application of the withdrawal agreement in domestic law and protects rights of over 3 million EU citizens living in the UK.
• Clause 33 prohibits the UK from agreeing to an extension of the implementation period beyond December 2020, as promised in the Conservative manifesto.
• The Commission President will meet with the Prime Minister tomorrow.
• Stephen Barclay will be meeting Michel Barnier.
• Both sides have committed to completing the deal by December 2020.
• New clauses 4 and 36 aim to force a delay if a deal is not agreed upon by certain deadlines.
• Clause 33 will not be decided on today.
• It will be taken as a Committee of the Whole House decision tomorrow.
• The decision on clause 33 may or may not be divided.
• The Opposition campaigned to remain in the EU but accepted the referendum outcome.
• They voted against previous withdrawal agreements due to concerns over the deal's quality.
• There is a need for Parliament to have a genuine role in questioning and debating the new arrangements.
• The Bill grants expansive powers to Ministers and diminishes Parliament's role.
• Protections for workers' rights have been removed from the Bill.
• The Northern Ireland protocol undermines the UK’s internal market.
• Clause 33 prohibits Ministers from agreeing an extension, bringing no deal back on the table.
• The transition period must be agreed to extend by 1 July 2020.
• New clause 4 proposes extending the transition period if a deal is not reached by December 2020.
• Make UK described no-deal Brexit as 'the height of economic lunacy'.
• The Government previously accepted the principle that Parliament should have a role in deciding to extend the transition period.
• The proposed extension would add two years to four and a half years of delay, totaling six and a half years.
• An extra implementation period is costing £12 billion annually in tax revenue forgone.
• Clause 33 ensures full control over money, laws, taxes, and fish from the beginning of next year.
• Eighty-five per cent of catch from inshore fishing in her constituency goes to the EU.
• The proposed transition period is only 11 months, shorter than the two and a half years taken by the previous Prime Minister for the withdrawal agreement.
• Clause 34 and Schedule 4 have been deleted, removing protections for workers' rights.
• Redditch has many small and medium-sized enterprises.
• The speaker ran a small business for nearly 30 years before entering Parliament.
• New clause 4 seeks to introduce an extension to the implementation period, which the speaker opposes.
• Carmichael does not plan to push new clause 36 to a Division.
• Previous implementation agreement was set for 21 months but now aims for 11 months completion.
• No deal remains on the table if negotiations fail by end of year.
• No one has ever negotiated a trade deal in just 11 months.
• Michel Barnier stated that Brussels would strive to have a deal in place within the given timeframe despite it being unusually short.
• The Republic of Ireland’s GDP growth rate is around 5% and could enter recession with a no-deal Brexit.
• The Democratic Unionist party will support clause 33 but table amendments for Northern Ireland.
• The EU Trade Commissioner suggested negotiations might be easier due to regulatory alignment.
• Sammy Wilson refers to a £92 billion trade deficit with the European Union.
• The UK market is lucrative for European countries.
• People are frustrated with delays in delivering on the referendum result.
• Investment decisions are being delayed due to uncertainty.
• Amendments aim to protect EU citizens' rights post-Brexit.
• Amendments include ensuring no reduction in eligibility for leave to remain except by primary legislation.
• New clauses propose fee levels exemptions for British citizenship registration.
• A new clause requires physical documented proof of settled status.
• Another new clause establishes a right to appeal settled status decisions.
• The Bill implements part 2 of the withdrawal agreement, ending free movement rights.
• Amendments seek to remedy choices made by the Government, such as demanding citizens apply to stay.
• Few schemes achieve a 100% reach, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in precarious situations.
• The statement criticises the Government's approach as a potential disaster for EU citizens.
• Amendments 5 and 6 aim to provide automatic status updates and keep settlement schemes open.
• The withdrawal agreement allows physical documents as proof of status but the Government opted for digital form only.
• The Independent Monitoring Authority's make-up is seen as lacking in independence due to Home Secretary's involvement.
• A statutory right of appeal should be included in primary legislation rather than being left to regulations or immigration rules.
• Registration fees for British citizenship are charged at over £1,000 despite administrative costs around £370.
• The UK will leave the EU on 31 January.
• Clauses 7 to 17 safeguard EU citizens' rights post-Brexit.
• Over 2.8 million applications have been received for the EU settlement scheme.
• Nearly 2.5 million people have been granted status under the EU settlement scheme.
• Over 2.8 million people have already applied to the EU settlement scheme.
• Nearly 2.5 million applications have been granted status.
• The Home Office has allocated £9 million for work with voluntary groups around the country.
• Only two people have been actively refused settled status as of the last set of official figures.
• Both refusals were on serious criminality grounds.
• Pre-settled status is granted only to people who have not been living in the country for five years.
• Clause 8 protects frontier workers through a registration scheme.
• Clauses 9 and 10 relate to deportation thresholds and criminality assessments post-Brexit implementation period.
• Clause 11 provides appeal rights under the EU settlement scheme.
• Clause 12 ensures lifelong recognition of professional qualifications for nurses, vets, lawyers, etc.
• Clause 13 protects access to pensions, benefits, and healthcare for those moving between UK and EU.
• Clause 14 guarantees non-discrimination rights based on nationality.
• Clause 15 establishes the Independent Monitoring Authority for citizens' rights with legal powers and independence.
• New clause 18 would remove citizenship fees for EU citizens but could lead to discrimination based on nationality.
• The current system requires EU citizens to apply for settled or pre-settled status.
• New clause 5 seeks to make the scheme declaratory, avoiding a repeat of the Windrush scandal.
• As of the statement, 2.8 million have applied with 2.5 million granted some form of status.
• Almost half of applicants receive pre-settled status, which is temporary and comes with fewer rights.
• The EU settlement scheme creates hundreds of thousands of individual cliff edges for people transitioning from pre-settled to settled status.
• A Dutch woman faced significant difficulties in securing settled status due to bureaucratic challenges, requiring extensive documentation and assistance.
• Amendment 2 seeks to clarify that all EU citizens have the right to appeal decisions on settled or pre-settled status.
• The Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA) is set up by schedule 2 of the Bill but lacks independence and power to hold the Government accountable.
• The speaker was involved in drafting much of the Bill during her time as a Minister.
• As of October 2019, more than 1 million people had been granted settled or pre-settled status under the EU settlement scheme.
• The Home Office funds numerous organisations to assist vulnerable groups such as homeless, disabled and elderly citizens in navigating the system.
• The legislation includes a grace period allowing for late or delayed applications.
• Charities such as the East European Resource Centre and the Refugee and Migrant Centre have welcomed the operation of the scheme.
• An Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA) will be established to monitor the application of rules, carry out inquiries, take up judicial review, and represent EU citizens.
• The MP promised constituents they would fight for their rights in the UK.
• New clause 34 has been tabled to allow appeals if applications for settled status are denied.
• Many EU citizens may leave the UK due to lack of security, affecting education and healthcare systems.
• The Home Affairs Committee examined the immigration system in detail.
• The Windrush scandal involved wrongful deportations and detentions due to Home Office mistakes.
• Compensation payouts have been made for Home Office errors.
• The MP has received inquiries from constituents about inadequate outreach.
• Concerns raised over elderly EU citizens with serious medical conditions, like Alzheimer’s.
• One constituent's wife applying for citizenship incurs a cost of £1,400.
• The Home Secretary and Roger Gale are focused on outreach work.
• They are working with 57 voluntary organizations around the country.
• The government is collaborating with commercial and public sector organizations that employ large numbers of EU citizens.
• No person entitled to citizens’ rights protections can be charged a higher registration fee than the cost to the Secretary of State.
• Children receiving local authority assistance cannot be charged registration fees if their parents are eligible under section (1).
• The Secretary of State must raise awareness of people's rights under the British Nationality Act 1981 to register as British citizens.