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<p>Government Departments continue to engage with a wide range of businesses to understand
their priorities and issues as we leave the European Union, both to inform our negotiating
position, and our preparations in the unlikely event of there being no deal.</p><p>
</p><p>Departments can make use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) when structuring
their engagements on preparations for leaving the EU, which is a crucial component
of planning. It is for departments to determine the manner in which engagement with
stakeholders takes place. Given the sensitive nature of some discussions, there may
be limited circumstances in which departments have used NDAs to enable those conversations,
thereby reaching more stakeholders than would otherwise be the case.</p><p> </p><p>NDAs
are also a common component of contractual arrangements that are used to protect commercial
considerations of the parties involved or to protect sensitives around the development
of Government policy.</p><p> </p><p>It is entirely normal practice to use such agreements
and they are therefore sometimes necessary for Government departments who are responsible
for managing their preparations for leaving the EU.</p>
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