Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of trade negotiators required to negotiate the UK's trade deals when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Rt hon Member will be aware that my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister has created a new Department for International Trade, which is responsible for promoting British trade across the world and ensuring the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. We are building up our trade policy capability. The new Department has begun a process to recruit and train staff to work on the UK’s trade policy. We will adapt the resource devoted to trade policy in line with future demands.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of how long it will take to negotiate the UK's membership of the World Trade Organisation when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The UK is a Member of the WTO in its own right. However, in leaving the EU, we will need to update the terms of our WTO membership where, at present, our commitments are applied through the EU as a whole.
We recognise the need to work with the EU and with other WTO Members in order to ensure a smooth transition which minimises the disruption to our trading relationships with other WTO Members, including developing country Members and our closest trading partners.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of how long it will take to negotiate a trade deal with the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
It is in the interests of all parties to secure an agreement that provides the basis for the fullest possible market access. The timescale will partly be determined by the discussions held prior to Brexit.
Asked by: David Lammy (Labour - Tottenham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the length of time it will take to negotiate trade agreements with the UK's major trading partners outside of the EU when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Greg Hands
My hon Friend the Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. The pace of trade negotiations will vary country to country. The Prime Minister has also established a Department for Exiting the European Union for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and EU. However, until we leave, the UK will remain a full member of the EU, with all of the rights and obligations.