Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department has taken to help ensure UK businesses benefit from the rules of origin requirements in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The Department is supporting businesses by creating a range of products and services to explain what has been agreed in Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and bilateral agreements, and how they can benefit. This will include specific guidance on rules of origin. Businesses can also access support via the Export Support Service, or through our network of International Trade Advisors.

Where the UK also has a bilateral free trade agreement in place with a CPTPP member, traders will be able to choose which agreement they wish to trade under. Businesses can compare preferential tariffs rates but also consider the administrative processes involved, including the rules of origin.