My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 6. I have already expressed some concerns about delays and problems that could arise
in trying to satisfy devolutionary feelings beyond the existing devolution settlements and the withdrawal Act, which have already given many powers to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We need always to bear in mind the need for a well-functioning single UK market. That is in the interests of citizens, and of charities and businesses which operate across the borders of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. My noble friend Lady Noakes cited some figures which bear repeating. I think she said that 60% of Welsh and Scottish exports and 49% of Northern Ireland exports come to other parts of the UK. Incidentally, I was glad to hear my noble friend the Minister committing the Government to high regulatory standards.
We heard from the noble and learned Lord, Lord Hope, in an impressive speech, and from the Minister in an equally persuasive one, about the role of common frameworks in relation to Amendment 5. I heard what my noble friend the Minister said, but it may be that a brief reference to these common frameworks could make everyone more comfortable with this Bill—I was thinking of an annual report on how they are working and how consultations have progressed. It seems odd, given their importance, that there is no reference to them at all.
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While I share the desire of the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay of Llandaff, to have more clarity and agreed processes, I fear that these amendments could be a recipe for an ineffective single UK market from day one. As we have heard, the common frameworks will take time to agree, in the same way as they did when they were established in the original EU Common Market in the 1960s and 1970s. The Constitution Committee has acknowledged this, so I cannot see that we can agree to an amendment that delays market access principles until the frameworks are all agreed.
On a point of detail, whatever we agree that the CMA might do in the way of monitoring, it does not have the skills to participate in law making in the way proposed in this amendment. I also have some concerns about yet more delegated powers. I need to understand better, perhaps from the noble Lord, Lord Stevenson, why we would want to put in extra measures using delegated powers, rather than adding what is needed to the Bill substantively.
In closing, we should remember that the transition period ends on 31 December, and we must be able to look after the economic interests of all four countries of the UK from 1 January next year. That is why the Bill has been brought forward. While this has been an interesting debate, I will not be supporting the amendment as it stands.