Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Government of Tanzania on a bilateral trade deal.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. This will grant duty-free quota-free access to UK markets for Least Developed Countries, including Tanzania.
The UK hopes to discuss the possibility of a trade agreement in East Africa with Tanzanian partners in the near future.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the publication of negotiation objectives for trade deals with China.
Answered by Conor Burns
We are not currently negotiating a free trade agreement with China. China is an important trading partner for the UK, and we are pursuing increased bilateral trade.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential advantages that the British Overseas Territories could provide when negotiating new free trade agreements.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Overseas Territories are valued constitutional partners, and the UK Government is committed to supporting and representing their interests in future trade policy, including free trade agreements (FTAs). We are engaging with the Overseas Territories to understand how this works in practice and what the possible opportunities may be. I look forward to future discussions with the Overseas Territories regarding their interests and priorities. We are determined that the new FTA’s will work for the whole UK family.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the publication of the negotiation objectives for trade deals with (a) Japan and (b) South Korea.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Department for International Trade continues to carry out internal processes to prepare for future negotiations with Japan. Both countries have agreed that they will work quickly to build a new economic partnership.
On 22 August 2019, the UK signed a continuity Free Trade Agreement with South Korea. Information about the terms of the agreement is outlined in the Parliamentary report, published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the publication of the negotiation objectives for a US trade deal.
Answered by Conor Burns
A Free Trade Agreement between the US and the UK would represent an important opportunity to deepen the bilateral trade and investment relationship, and set a global benchmark for how two leading, open and mature economies trade with each other.
There are regular conversations with Cabinet colleagues about the UK’s future trading relations once we leave the EU.
As part of our commitment to an open and transparent approach, before negotiations start we will publish our negotiating objectives.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of inserting human-rights related clauses into future trade deals with China or Hong Kong.
Answered by Conor Burns
The UK has a strong history of protecting human rights and has long supported the promotion of our values globally. We are committed to upholding the UK’s high standards and this will continue as we leave the EU. The Government’s priorities for free trade agreements are currently the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade missions her Department has led to each country in each of the last five years.
Answered by Conor Burns
Whilst my Department does not hold a central list of all historic missions from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) as well as DIT, on reviewing available data, we estimate that over the last five years DIT and its predecessor UKTI have delivered in excess of 500 formal overseas trade missions to more than 80 countries. The figure may well be higher, as my Department operates in 108 countries globally, and not all facilitated visits are formally recorded as trade missions.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he has taken to enhance UK trade with Montenegro after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The whole Europe region remains a strategic priority for UK trade. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Montenegro was £67m in 2018.
In August 2018, the Secretary of State launched the Export Strategy, the government’s plan to increase UK total exports as a proportion of GDP to 35% and make Britain a 21st century exporting superpower. The Export Strategy will encourage and inspire more businesses to export; inform businesses by providing practical assistance on exporting; connect UK businesses to overseas buyers and opportunities; and help provide finance through UKEF to enhance the HMG offer to UK exporters. Through this strategy we will also continue to promote the UK as a bilateral trading partner, reassuring Montenegro businesses that the UK remains open for business and remains an advocate for free trade and open markets.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress he has made on ensuring transitional arrangements for the UK to replace the EU's trade agreement with Georgia; and whether he has plans to enhance that agreement after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Hollingbery
We continue to engage with Georgia on replicating the effects of the existing EU trade agreement. Both the UK and Georgia remain committed to concluding a new partnership, trade & cooperation agreement as soon as possible. We are working together to ensure we are prepared for all possible scenarios. The Government will inform Parliament as soon as our discussions have concluded.
Continuity is our primary objective and securing this will be a strong foundation to build on for our trading relationship.