Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government with which countries, in order of priority, they wish to conclude trade deals post-Brexit; and what estimate they have made, if any, of the likely timescale of concluding such deals.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
Our priority is to be in a position to begin formal negotiations with key partners after we leave the EU, and to then make progress towards substantive agreements, so long as such agreements work for the whole of the UK. We have completed public consultations on potential future free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and on the UK’s potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). We plan to publish Government responses for each of the four consultations before any formal negotiations begin.
Trade agreements vary in shape, scope and form, and there is no “average” timeframe for completion. For example, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada took seven years to negotiate, the China-Switzerland FTA took two, but the USA-Jordan FTA negotiations only four months. The Government is clear that its objective is to negotiate the best possible FTAs for the whole of the UK, in the interests of business and consumers.
While we are looking to forge new agreements, the Government is also seeking continuity for our existing EU trade agreements as we leave the EU. A list of all signed trade continuity agreements is available on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Mobarik on 24 January (HL Deb, col 550) concerning UK exports, what criteria the Department for International Trade uses in deciding which markets and sectors to target through its export campaigns.
Answered by Lord Price
No set criteria are used in deciding which market-sectors should be export campaigns. Instead a range of different factors determine the campaigns. Primarily, we consider the ability of Government to add value to UK exports as recorded by the ONS. This is judged over a five-year forecasting period. We also consider the diversification across sectors and markets to ensure the portfolio of export campaigns is balanced. It is a proven framework for analysing where Government interventions can add the most value for the benefit of the whole of the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Quin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Mobarik on 24 January (HL Deb, col 550) concerning UK exports, what export campaigns are currently sponsored by the Department for International Trade, broken down by market and sector.
Answered by Lord Price
It is the Department for International Trade’s policy not to disclose campaigns by market and sector. This is because many of the campaigns relate to specific commercial deals targeted by UK firms with Government support. Disclosing that information may put at risk the commercial deals they are pursuing.