Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many deals the UK is a signatory to that contain Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions.
Answered by Greg Hands
The United Kingdom has investment agreements containing Investor-State Dispute Settlement provisions with over 90 trading partners. This includes the vast majority of the UK’s bilateral investment treaties and the Energy Charter Treaty.
There has never been a successful claim brought against the United Kingdom nor has the threat of potential claims affected the Government’s legislative programme.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government plans to maintain pedestrian protection standards for cars imported from (a) the US and (b) other countries in its negotiation of trade deals for after the transition period.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government has been clear that we will not lower British standards as a part of future free trade agreements.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will (a) suspend exports of tear gas, rubber bullets and riot shields to the US in response to the recent steps taken by police against protestors and (ii) launch an investigation into whether British weapons were used by the US police against protestors; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade and I have been sorry to see the violence that has taken place in the United States of America.
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from 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.
Any licence granted by my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade may be subject to conditions. In addition, in line with the Consolidated Criteria, my Department is able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require. There are currently eight extant licences that may be linked to law enforcement agencies. Six are Open Individual Export Licences (‘OIELs’), which have potential end users that include law enforcement agencies. Two are Standard Individual Export Licences (‘SIELs’), which have numerous potential end users that include law enforcement agencies. There are also 15 Open General Licences (‘OGLs’) for which businesses can register that cover the export of anti-riot gear.
Much information is in the public domain already. We publish information on all export licences issued, refused and revoked on a quarterly and annual basis as official statistics on GOV.UK – at: gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data – and whilst data on actual exports is not required to be centrally held, the licences issued until the end of December 2019 are available.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the the protection of the National Health Service from future trade deals.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government has been clear that the NHS will remain free at the point of need.
When HM Government is negotiating trade agreements, we have been clear that the NHS will not be on the table. The price the NHS pays for drugs will not be on the table. The services the NHS provides will not be on the table. The NHS is not, and never will be, for sale to the private sector, whether overseas or at home.
The Department for International Trade works closely with a number of Departments as part of the policy-making process, including the Department for Health and Social Care, to make sure that these rigorous protections are included. Our position was reaffirmed in our negotiating objectives for a Free Trade Agreement with the United States of America, published on 2nd March 2020.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the right hon. Member for East Hampshire, representing the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of moving freight to and from the Restoration and Renewal construction site at the Palace of Westminster by river.
Answered by Damian Hinds
The Sponsor Body has agreed a strategic objective to mitigate the environmental impact of the Restoration and Renewal Programme during the construction phase and to minimise the impact in relation to the Palace's future operation. This objective has been endorsed by the Commissions of both Houses and will be kept under review as the Programme progresses. An Environment Impact Assessment will be conducted in due course once the preferred approach to the works has been determined as part of the business case process, which will consider the impact on air quality and river ecology. The Programme is also expected to agree a series of controls and mitigations, as well as monitoring arrangements, for air quality during the construction phase as part of the planning process. The merits of using the river for moving materials to and from the construction site, to minimise the effects of construction on road traffic emissions, will also be considered by the Programme.