Asked by: Lord McNicol of West Kilbride (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper UK-India free trade agreement: the UK’s strategic approach, published on 13 January, to what extent they consider the long-run estimates within the document applicable to the UK in the first 15 years of the trade deal being in effect.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model used to estimate these benefits produces long run results: although not explicitly modelled, this is typically assumed to refer to a period of around 15 years after implementation. Because the model used is static, all changes resulting from the agreement are incorporated at once and therefore it does not capture short run impacts.
India is projected to be the world’s third largest economy by 2050 and as India’s middle class grows to nearly a quarter of a billion middle class consumers, greater access to this market is expected to benefit UK firms.
Asked by: Lord McNicol of West Kilbride (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper UK-India free trade agreement: the UK’s strategic approach, published on 13 January, whether they have produced any short-run estimates for the impact of the prospective UK-India free trade agreement on (1) wages, and (2) output, by sector, measured by gross value added.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model used to estimate these benefits produces long run results: although not explicitly modelled, this is typically assumed to refer to a period of around 15 years after implementation. Because the model used is static, all changes resulting from the agreement are incorporated at once and therefore it does not capture short run impacts.
India is projected to be the world’s third largest economy by 2050 and as India’s middle class grows to nearly a quarter of a billion middle class consumers, greater access to this market is expected to benefit UK firms.
Asked by: Lord McNicol of West Kilbride (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Fairhead on 26 October (HLWS1015), what steps they have taken to ensure a free and fair recruitment process for those announced as members of staff for the Trade Remedies Authority.
Answered by Baroness Fairhead
On 26 October 2018 my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade announced, in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament, that the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) Chief Executive Designate had been recruited as a member of staff to the Department of International Trade (DIT). It was also announced that the Chief Economist, Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Joint Chief Investigators had also been recruited to DIT, with the intention that they be transferred to the TRA once it is legally established through Royal Assent of the Trade Bill, subject to the will of Parliament.
I can confirm that all of these members of staff were recruited through a standard Civil Service external recruitment process in accordance with the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles April 2018. These principles set out the rules and procedures which Government Departments must follow in order to ensure that appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. A Civil Service Commissioner chaired the recruitment competition for the TRA Chief Executive Designate and was responsible for, among other things, ensuring that the recruitment process followed these principles.
Asked by: Lord McNicol of West Kilbride (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Fairhead on 26 October (HLWS1015), what was the recruitment process of those announced as members of staff for the Trade Remedies Authority.
Answered by Baroness Fairhead
On 26 October 2018 my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade announced, in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament, that the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) Chief Executive Designate had been recruited as a member of staff to the Department of International Trade (DIT). It was also announced that the Chief Economist, Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Joint Chief Investigators had also been recruited to DIT, with the intention that they be transferred to the TRA once it is legally established through Royal Assent of the Trade Bill, subject to the will of Parliament.
I can confirm that all of these members of staff were recruited through a standard Civil Service external recruitment process in accordance with the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles April 2018. These principles set out the rules and procedures which Government Departments must follow in order to ensure that appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. A Civil Service Commissioner chaired the recruitment competition for the TRA Chief Executive Designate and was responsible for, among other things, ensuring that the recruitment process followed these principles.