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 FrameworkOrgans, Tissues and Cells Common FrameworkLate Payment Common FrameworkThis 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.
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2026-03-19.hcws1421.0
seen at 10:11, 20 March in Written Ministerial Statements.