About the Inquiry
An inquiry to monitor and scrutinise the Article 50 withdrawal negotiations and their implications for Scotland.
Evidence
Written submissions
Read the written submissions
Call for views
The Committee issued a call for evidence on 14 September 2018. The closing date for submissions was 12 October 2018.
Read the call for evidence
Oral Evidence
Scottish and UK Government Ministers
The Committee has taken evidence from Scottish and UK Ministers on the progress of Article 50 Withdrawal negotiations on the following occasions:
The Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations, Michael Russell MSP, gave evidence on 6 September 2018, 20 December 2018 and 25 April 2019.
The Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon David Mundell MP, and Robin Walker MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union, gave evidence on 10 May 2018.
The Minister for Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Chancellor of Lancaster, Rt Hon David Lidington MP, gave evidence at a joint meeting of the Finance and Constitution Committee and Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee on 29 November 2018.
UK's Future Trading Policy
The Committee took evidence on the UK's future trading policy at its meeting on 15 March 2018. The Committee took evidence from Peter Ungphakorn, former Senior Information Officer, World Trade Organisation Secretariat; Dr Gracia Marin Duran, Senior Lecturer in International Economic Law, UCL Faculty of Laws, University College London; Dr Matias Margulis, Senior Lecturer in Political Economy, University of Stirling; and Liz Murray, Head of Scottish Campaigns, Global Justice Now.
UK Common Frameworks
At its meeting on 3 May 2018, the Committee took evidence on UK Common Frameworks from Professor Michael Keating, Director of the Centre on Constitutional Change, and Professor Stephen Tierney, University of Edinburgh.
Negotiations
The Committee took evidence at its meeting on 4 October 2018 from Professor Anand Menon, Director, UK in a Changing Europe, regarding the progress of the Article 50 negotiations.
The Committee took evidence from Akash Paun, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Government; Dr Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive and Chief Economist of the European Research Centre; and Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow on the progress of the Article 50 negotiations and likely outcomes at its meeting on 24 January 2019.
Preparedness
Evidence was taken from representatives of a wide range of sectors on their preparedness for the outcome of the Article 50 negotiating process was taken at the Committee meeting on 29 November 2018.
Perspective from Northern Ireland
At its meeting on 31 January 2019, the Committee took evidence from Dr Katy Hayward, Reader, Social Division and Conflict, Queens University Belfast, and Tony Connelly, Europe Editor, RTE News/Irish TV & Radio on the implications and perspective of Northern Ireland of Article 50 negotiations.
Economic Implications for Scotland of a No-Deal Brexit
The Committee took evidence from the Scottish Government's Chief Economics Adviser, Dr Gary Gillespie and Deputy Director, Economic Analysis, Simon Fuller at its meeting on 7 March 2019.
Future of UK-EU Inter-Institutional relations post-Brexit
The Committee took evidence from Professor Michael Keating, Director of the Centre on Constitutional Change, and Paul Cairney, Professor of Politics and Public Policy at University of Stirling on the way that UK, EU and devolved institutions may interact Post-Brexit at its meeting on 14 March 2019.
International Agreements
Evidence was taken from trade experts on the negotiation of new international agreements between the UK and other countries, and the implications for Scotland at Committee meetings on 21 March 2019 and 28 March 2019. The Committee took evidence from the Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation on 9 May 2019.
The Law Society of Scotland provided a submission ahead of the 9 May 2019 meeting.
The Northern Ireland Protocol
The Committee took evidence from Professor David Phinnemore, Professor of European Politics, Queen's University Belfast, Mairi Spowage, Deputy Director, Fraser of Allander Institute and Aodhán Connolly, Director, Northern Ireland Retail Consortium on the Northern Ireland protocol at its meeting on 16 January 2020.
Withdrawal Agreement and Negotiation of the Future Relationship
23 January 2020
The Committee took evidence from Dr Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive and Chief Economist, European Policy Centre, Charles Grant, Director, Centre for European Reform (by video link), Dame Mariot Leslie, Former UK Diplomat and Member of the First Ministers’ Standing Council on Europe and Professor Anand Menon, Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, Kings College London on the withdrawal agreement and negotiation of the future relationship at its meeting on 23 January 2020.
20 February 2020
The Committee took evidence from Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, Europe and External Affairs and David Barnes, Head of EU Exit Strategy and Negotiations, Scottish Government on the withdrawal agreement and negotiation of the future relationship at its meeting on 20 February 2020.
The Minister for Public Finance and Migration wrote to the Committee on 2 March 2020 with follow-up information from the Cabinet Secretary's evidence session on 20 February:
5 March 2020
The Committee took evidence from Rt Hon Alister Jack, Secretary of State for Scotland; Gillian McGregor CBE, Director, and Nick Leake, Deputy Director, Policy, Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland on the withdrawal agreement and negotiation of the future relationship at its meeting on 5 March 2020.
The Secretary of State for Scotland wrote to the Committee on 14 April 2020 with follow-up information from the meeting on 5 March 2020:
Previous call for evidence (2017)
As part of this inquiry, in 2017 the Committee issued a call for evidence (which closed on 18 August 2017). To find out more about that call for evidence, please see the following link:
Article 50: 2017 call for evidence
Visits and Events
Fact-finding Trip to Brussels
The Committee visited South West Scotland in January 2020. A report on the visit is produced below:
Correspondence
- Letter from David Lidington, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, to the Convener dated November 2018 (103KB pdf)
- Letter to Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, dated 18 February 2019 (152KB pdf)
- Letter to George Hollingbery, Minister of State for Trade Policy at the Dept for International Trade, dated 1 April 2019 (78KB pdf)
- Letter from George Hollingbery, Minister of State for Trade Policy at the Dept for International Trade, dated 20 May 2019 (78KB pdf)
- Letter from James Cleverly, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, dated 29 May 2019 (95KB pdf)
- Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Government Business and Constitutional Relations, providing information as a follow up to his 25 April 2019 evidence session, dated 4 June 2019 (263KB pdf)
- Letter from Convener to Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union dated 29 August 2019 (104KB pdf)
- Letter from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union to Convener dated 12 September 2019 (3.91KB pdf)
- Letter from Convener to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster dated 17 September 2019 (83.2KB pdf)
- Letter from Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to Convener dated 24 September 2019 (42KB pdf)
- Letter from Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union to Convener dated 2 October 2019 (45KB pdf)
- Letter from Convener to Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union dated 2 October 2019 (80KB pdf)
- Letter from the Secretary of State for Scotland to the Convener of 4 February 2020 (190KB pdf)