Speech in Grand Committee - Thu 22 Jul 2021
Cultural and Education Exchanges
"My Lords, as the noble Earl confirmed, the issue here goes much further than simply school and college cultural exchange visits, although all the points he and others made about the disaster that will follow the lack of Erasmus+ and all the human, cultural and institutional contact that will be …..."Lord Stevenson of Balmacara - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 13th July 2020
Asked by:
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of possible human rights, modern slavery, and security concerns relating to exports from China, what plans they have to establish a trade agreement with the government of China; what sectors any such agreement would cover; and what assessment they have made of whether any such agreement would meet the Government's environmental, food, and animal welfare standards.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government is clear that trade does not have to come at the expense of our values.
Our focus at the current time is negotiating Free Trade Agreements with the United States of America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand; alongside considering accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
We do not currently have plans to negotiate a free trade agreement with China.
China is – and remains – an important trading partner for the United Kingdom.
Written Question
Tuesday 23rd June 2020
Asked by:
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) personal confidentiality agreements, and (2) non-disclosure agreements the Department for International Trade has signed with (a) businesses, (b) individuals, and (c) third parties advising, the department on its response to COVID 19.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Department for International Trade has not signed any personal confidentiality agreements, nor non-disclosure agreements with businesses, individuals nor third parties advising HM Government on its response to COVID-19.
Written Question
Tuesday 23rd June 2020
Asked by:
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants in the Department for International Trade are dedicated to trade negotiations with (1) the United States, (2) Japan, and (3) Australia. [T]
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Department for International Trade’s Trade Policy Group (TPG) has a strong core of trade policy officials which has significantly grown from 45 to 723 (excluding the Export Control Joint Unit and Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate) since 2016. In TPG, we have dedicated teams in charge of coordinating each of our new free trade agreement negotiations, including the US, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. We have 3 Chief Negotiators and 3 Deputy Chief Negotiators currently, as well as the Government’s Chief Trade Negotiation Advisor.
Trade negotiations will be progressed by teams of differing sizes depending on their complexity and the Department also works closely with experts in other Departments.
Written Question
Tuesday 26th May 2020
Asked by:
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)
Question
to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the aim expressed in OUR PLAN TO REBUILD: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy (CP 239) to deliver a “cleaner, more sustainable” world economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, what steps they are taking to achieve this aim through trade policy.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government intends to support Britain’s economy to become stronger, cleaner, and more resilient after this crisis. A clean and resilient economic recovery will boost exports and create employment in the low-carbon industries of the future, while ensuring we address the linked challenges of public health, climate change, and biodiversity. Our ambitious trade policy agenda can support these aims, by promoting trade in low-carbon goods and services through Free Trade Agreements and at the WTO. HM Government will also continue to lead work on the international economic recovery through our upcoming COP26 and G7 Presidencies.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 01 May 2019
Trade Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Swiss Confederation
"My Lords, this has been a very good debate, and, not the first time, your Lordships’ House owes a considerable debt of gratitude to the EU Committee, and in particular to this sub-committee, for the hard work it has done in trying to bring together the arguments, the pluses and …..."Lord Stevenson of Balmacara - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 26 Mar 2019
Protecting Against the Effects of the Extraterritorial Application of Third Country Legislation (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
"I, too, am very grateful to the Minister for her very full introduction to this SI. It took us into areas new to me, such as the intersection between foreign policy and trade policy. That is an interesting issue and the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, was right to focus his …..."Lord Stevenson of Balmacara - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 26 Mar 2019
Protecting Against the Effects of the Extraterritorial Application of Third Country Legislation (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
"I am sorry to interrupt the Minister’s flow and I am grateful to her for giving way. I was trying to make a slightly different point, which is not the broader case about the JCPOA but on the British national currently held in detention in Iran for whom diplomatic efforts …..."Lord Stevenson of Balmacara - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 26 Mar 2019
Cat and Dog Fur (Control of Import, Export and Placing on the Market) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
"My Lords, the Minister brought forward a well-argued and brief case, and there is no need for us to go over much of the ground here. This is a very straightforward translation across of an existing power, and it is obviously necessary. These bans are only there because of public …..."Lord Stevenson of Balmacara - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 26 Mar 2019
Trade etc. in Dual-Use Items and Firearms etc. (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
"My Lords, I am again grateful to the Minister for her comprehensive introduction to this SI. I follow the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, on a number of points and look forward to the responses to them.
I was puzzled by why the version of the SI that we have is …..."Lord Stevenson of Balmacara - View Speech
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