Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with representatives from the metals recycling industry about the importance of the free and fair trade of scrap steel.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK has an abundant supply of scrap. Officials are in regular contact with metals recycling sector representatives on a range of issues, including trade. We are paying close attention to how the scrap market is responding to new domestic opportunities on high quality scrap for electric arc furnaces.
The Government supports free and fair trade and takes the control of waste exports and our international obligations very seriously. The export of scrap is subject to strict controls and exporters are required to ensure that the waste they ship is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout shipment and recycling.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on (1) domestic food producers, and (2) the animal welfare practices associated with imported food products.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Impact Assessment for the UK's accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) was published on 17th July 2022 and outlines sectoral impacts. The Government has negotiated a balanced agreement, with significant opportunities for UK agri-food businesses and which also has strong protections for the UK's sensitive agricultural products.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what engagement they undertook with representatives of domestic food producers prior to taking the decision to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has ensured that UK food producers have been able to express their views on the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific partnership (CPTPP) through frequent engagement with the agricultural sector.
We have regularly spoken to representatives of domestic food producers, including the Food and Drink Association, National Farmers' Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, the Agricultural Industries Confederation and the British Poultry Council.
The Department has also hosted roundtable events specifically for agricultural stakeholders, further giving them a forum to provide perspectives on CPTPP.
Agricultural stakeholders were also able to contribute to the consultation exercise on CPTPP, which received almost 150,000 responses. The Government's response to that consultation was published in June 2021 at the outset of negotiations.