Cabinet Office Minister (): Following sustained and
constructive dialogue with the Scottish and Welsh governments and
the Northern Ireland Executive I am informing the House that 3
Frameworks have been published by the UK government on behalf of
the Scottish and Welsh governments, and the Northern Ireland
Executive. This brings the total number of finalised Common
Frameworks to 8.
- Blood Safety and Quality Common Framework
- Organs, Tissues and Cells Common Framework
- Late Payment Common Framework
This is in addition to four bi-lateral Common Frameworks
finalised with the Northern Ireland Executive and published on 26
February by the Department for Transport: Rail Technical
Standards; Commercial Transport and Operator Licensing; Driver
Licensing; and Motor Insurance.
These documents have been updated to reflect both changes in
policy and legislation since the Common Frameworks were laid for
scrutiny, and accommodate many of the recommendations made, not
only by the UK Parliament, but also legislatures in Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition, changes have occurred in
key areas such as the Windsor Framework replacing the Northern
Ireland Protocol. The Windsor Framework has reduced regulatory
divergence between Great Britain and Northern Ireland for goods
remaining in the UK. The standard text was updated in the
relevant Common Frameworks following agreement by the four
governments.
The continued efforts and joint working by the four governments
has enabled the operation of the full programme of Common
Frameworks since they were provisionally published in 2021/22.
The final publication of these Frameworks is an excellent example
of strong communication and collaboration. It demonstrates that
together the four governments of the United Kingdom can take the
right decisions for the benefit of citizens and businesses,
protecting the integrity of the UK internal market.
For completeness, it was agreed between the UK government and the
Northern Ireland Executive that the Specified Quantities Common
Framework was no longer required as this had little risk of
divergence and the four governments also agreed that the MRPQ
Framework is not required at this time.
As we look ahead, we are focussed on the future transparency of
the programme. The UK government is clear that this should not
only allow the four legislatures of the UK insight into the
effectiveness of Common Frameworks, but also ensure that all
relevant stakeholders with a specific industry interest can
utilise this information.
Finally, the UK government is firmly committed to the speedy
finalisation of the remaining Common Frameworks. We continue to
work with the devolved governments to complete the remainder of
the programme and the government will update the House on those
developments in due course.
