Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of a Free Trade Agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council on human rights in member states of that council.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
We’re proud of the UK’s role as a leading human rights advocate worldwide. This work takes place separately to trade negotiations, but growing our trading relationships is one way to promote British values abroad while boosting our economy. The GCC is an economically and strategically important group of countries and an ambitious trade deal is firmly in the UK’s national interest, helping to achieve the highest sustained growth in the G7.
Strengthening our trading relationships increases UK influence, enabling open discussions with partners on a range of issues. Our close relationship with our partners in the Gulf allows us to discuss important issues such as human rights at official and Ministerial level.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential economic impact of a free trade agreement with India on the egg industry in the UK.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The first mission of this Government is to drive economic growth, Free Trade Agreements have a critical role to play in delivering that mission.
The Secretary of State announced the Government’s intention to deliver the UK’s Free Trade Agreement programme, including India in July 2024. Our trade programme is driven by stakeholder engagement, including with egg producers and their representative organisations.
In line with our parliamentary commitments, we will publish an independently scrutinised Impact Assessment once the agreement has been signed which will cover the economic impacts of the deal.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 October 2024 to Question 8571 on Trade Agreements: Parliamentary Scrutiny, what options he is considering for wider scrutiny arrangements for trade agreements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Government is considering all aspects of this issue. All arrangements must be proportionate and in line with the UK’s overarching constitutional framework. We need to balance effective parliamentary scrutiny whilst still ensuring the Government can negotiate effectively in the UK’s best interest.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of maintaining regulatory alignment with the European Union.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Government continues to follow EU regulatory developments with interest and engages regularly with the EU on key regulatory developments, including through TCA structures such as the Trade Specialised Committees. I can confirm that my officials will consider the impact of UK regulatory changes through impact assessments or proportionate analysis.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to make the strengthening of UK climate commitments a priority during the negotiation of free trade agreements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government is committed to being an international leader on environmental issues, including tackling climate change, achieving net zero and delivering growth.
The FTAs with Australia, New Zealand and CPTPP include binding commitments such as non-derogation from their environmental laws, and affirm international environment and climate commitments including the Paris Agreement. The UK is committed to promoting high environmental standards and deepening cooperation with trade partners on climate and environment issues.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to foster collaboration between (a) UK regulatory authorities and (b) relevant EU agencies on (i) expertise, (ii) data and (iii) best practices for manufactured goods (A) regulation and (B) safety.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government values strong UK-EU trading relations and recognises the importance of regulatory cooperation to maximising the benefits from our trade relationship, including ensuring consumer safety. The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) provides a basis for cooperation in respect of manufactured goods. The TCA's sectoral working groups facilitate mutual information exchange and discussion of regulatory developments in motor vehicles and parts, medicinal and organic products. This Government is also committed to advancing discussions on systematic exchange of data on unsafe non-food products as outlined in the TCA and looks forward to exploring further opportunities for UK-EU collaboration.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make it his policy to negotiate mutual recognition of conformity assessment results between the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government is committed to working with the EU to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit and realise the potential of the UK-EU relationship by tackling unnecessary barriers to trade to support growth in the UK and Europe.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which stakeholders his Department plans to consult during the development of his proposed trade strategy.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
We recognise the importance of stakeholder engagement, which will play a crucial role in the development of the trade strategy. We will share further details on stakeholders' involvement in due course.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he plans to take to ensure that Parliament has meaningful powers to (a) scrutinise trade negotiations as they progress and (b) (i) debate and (ii) vote on trade treaties ahead of ratification.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Government is committed to supporting parliamentary scrutiny of the UK’s trade agreements, balancing the need for robust scrutiny with the need to ensure we can negotiate effectively in the UK’s best interests.
Free trade agreements are subject to parliamentary scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, prior to ratification.
The Department for Business and Trade is currently considering wider scrutiny arrangements for trade agreements, to ensure they are fit for purpose.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the construction industry in (a) Berkshire and (b) the UK.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Our priorities to support growth and investment in the construction sector across the UK include: maximising economic benefits of HMG investment in construction and infrastructure; helping industry become more productive and sustainable, encouraging adoption of new technologies, decarbonisation and greater investment in its workforce; working to improve the business environment including payment practices; and supporting trade and investment in construction products and services.
The Government is working with the construction industry to build capacity and capability to deliver its infrastructure and built environment commitments. The introduction of Skills England will be crucial to providing high quality training for construction workers.