Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with environmental NGOs in the UK regarding the UK’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
As part of the public consultation on the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Government has engaged with hundreds of businesses, Non-Governmental Organisations, and trade unions, some of whom gave views on environmental issues. Points raised were analysed and will continue to inform the Government’s overall approach to negotiating UK accession to the agreement.
CPTPP has high environmental standards and maintains the UK’s right to regulate for its own level of environmental protection. The UK will not need to lower domestic standards to join and the Government notes that within the CPTPP agreement there are commitments to environmental protection.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the government of the United States about any future trading relationship.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The incoming US administration is currently in the process of nominating members of its Cabinet and appointing senior staff.
In line with previous practice, the transition team is limiting foreign government contact with the President-elect’s appointees and nominees ahead of the inauguration and (where applicable) Senate confirmation process. We look forward to working closely with the new team following the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on 20th January.
Department for International Trade (DIT) Ministers also engage senior US political figures on a bipartisan basis, including recent discussions on UK-US trade negotiations held between the Secretary of State and Senator Wyden (Dem) and Senator Portman (Rep).
Round five of Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the UK and US concluded on 30 October 2020. It was the most intensive round of negotiations held so far, with a significant proportion of legal text agreed across multiple chapters.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with trade partners about the insertion of clauses on safeguarding human rights in future trade agreements.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The United Kingdom has long promoted her values globally. We are clear that more trade does not have to come at the expense of rights and responsibilities.
While our approach to agreements will vary between partners, it will always allow HM Government to have open discussions on these issues.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with UK trade partners about protecting International Labour Organisation standards in future trade agreements.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
In line with our international obligations, including those under the International Labour Organisation (ILO), HM Government will continue to ensure a high level of protection of labour standards in new trade agreements. HM Government shares the public’s high regard for worker protections and has made clear that we will not compromise on these.
While the detail of free trade agreements (FTAs) are reserved for formal negotiations, HM Government has publicly committed to reaffirming its international labour standards in our outline approaches to FTAs with the US, Japan, New Zealand and Australia.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in negotiating free trade deals.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The United Kingdom is currently in negotiations with the United States, Australia and New Zealand to establish new Free Trade Agreements. We are also negotiating with a number of markets to establish continuity of trade, as we leave the transition period on 31st December. We reached one such agreement in principle for an enhanced trade agreement with Japan on 11th September, and we will be presenting final text to the House shortly.
My department published an update on the third round of negotiations with the US on GOV.UK on 12th August. The fourth round of negotiations have been running from 8th September and are due to close tomorrow, on the 18th September.
Over the summer, we have also held productive first round negotiations with Australia and New Zealand. Second rounds are scheduled for the week commencing 21st September and late October respectively.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with UK trade partners about inserting clauses on human rights in future trade deals.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The United Kingdom has a strong history of promoting our values globally, safeguarding human rights and responsibilities. Our strong economic relationships with trading partners allow HM Government to have open discussions on a range of difficult issues.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they take to ensure that all arms and equipment licensed for export from the UK meet the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
As the Noble Lady will recall from my answer to her question of 15th June, all export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the ‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, my Department receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of exporting any equipment. These are not decisions my Department takes lightly, and we will not license the export of items where to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with UK trade partners about maintaining environmental protection standards in trade agreements.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
In line with our international obligations, HM Government will continue to ensure a high level of protection of the environment in new trade agreements. HM Government shares the public’s high regard for Britain’s environmental protections and has made clear that we will not compromise on these.
While the detail of free trade agreements (FTAs) are reserved for formal negotiations, HM Government has publicly committed to protecting Britain’s world-leading environmental standards in our outline approaches to FTAs with the US, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of preferential trade agreements on (1) labour standards, and (2) human rights.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The United Kingdom has a strong history of safeguarding rights and promoting our val-ues globally. Our strong economic relationships with trading partners allow the Govern-ment to have open discussions on a range of difficult issues, including rights and responsibilities.
The United Kingdom upholds its international labour standard commitments through domestic legislation and any Free Trade Agreements that we finalise with other countries will not change those commitments.
Further, we are clear that more trade does not have to come at the expense of our track record in upholding rights and responsibilities. We will include measures that allow the United Kingdom to maintain the integrity, and provide meaningful protection, of our world-leading labour standards, and we continue to encourage all states to uphold international rights and obligations too.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the renewable energy sector in exporting products and services.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Department for International Trade (DIT) undertakes a range of promotion activities to support exports from the renewable energy sector, including those under the GREAT campaign, further information about which can be found on DIT’s website. Engagement with UK exporters forms part of the work of DIT’s sector teams – one of which specifically focuses on renewable energy technologies – as well as our international network of trade and investment advisors, with renewable energy and clean growth being key themes of work.
Last year, for example, DIT worked closely with Taiwan, including by signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and Taiwan, to open up offshore wind opportunities for UK companies. The offshore wind sector deal commits DIT and industry to increase offshore wind exports fivefold to £2.6 billion by 2030.
DIT is developing a new UK Export Strategy with one of the key pillars being ‘clean growth’. Stakeholders will be consulted ahead of its launch later this year.