Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with international partners on the exemption of health services from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

The UK has protected the NHS and public services in all trade agreements and will continue to do so in this deal. We have made clear to our international partners that this is non-negotiable and sought assurances from them.

In response, in January, the European Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström, wrote an open letter to the then Minister of State for Trade and Investment, clarifying that EU countries will be free to decide how they run their public services and stating explicitly that the NHS is not at risk from this free trade agreement.

In March, she and the US Trade Representative, Mike Froman issued a joint public statement reiterating this.