Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) has commented that the Great Repeal Bill promises stability to businesses – but must be managed carefully. Christopher Morrow, Head of Policy at NI Chamber said:

“NI Chamber members require certainty on the rules and regulations they will face when the UK leaves the EU from day one. For that reason, the premise of stability and continuity at the heart of the Great Repeal Bill is welcome.

“The potential benefits raised by NI Chamber members of leaving the EU largely focus on taking back control of some aspects of trading policy and regulation. There is an expectation that having greater control over regulation should lead to a reduction in the regulatory burden (particularly with rules of no/limited benefit to UK business) making it easier to do business and also less costly.

“However a legislative transition of this size and scope has never before been implemented, and businesses will be watching carefully to ensure there are no unintended consequences for individual firms, for sectors or for business communities as a whole.

“As we have seen in the past, it takes only takes one poorly-drafted regulation to result in wide-reaching consequences – and this process involves re-drafting thousands of pieces of the rule-book.

“In the fullness of time, businesses want to work with government to determine areas where maintaining equivalence with EU law is in our national economic interest, and areas where some divergence and change may be required. This will be a complex endeavor and is better done right than done quickly.”

The Great Repeal Bill White Paper has been published by the UK Government, setting out the proposed legislative approach for converting EU into UK law. Brexit Secretary David Davis said the proposed legislation would allow the UK Parliament and Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland administrations to scrap, amend and improve laws.

The Secretary of State said the legislation would allow businesses to continue operating on the day after UK leaves the EU “knowing the rules have not changed overnight” adding that it would also mean that workers’ rights, environmental protection and consumer rights currently enshrined in EU laws would continue as UK laws – although Parliament would be free to change them later.

Related Files

(untitled file)