Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will list the countries with which the Government is conducting bilateral trade negotiations.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government has agreed trade deals with 66 countries, in addition to the EU, covering trade worth £890 billion in 2019.
My Department has agreed continuity arrangements with the European Economic Area (EEA) and continue to make progress towards a new comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA). We are continuing discussions from last year with Serbia too, with a view to concluding an agreement soon.
FTA negotiations are continuing with the US, Australia and New Zealand. We will re-open negotiations with Canada and Mexico this year, which supports our strategy to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish (a) a list of all current export licenses to the US of riot control projectiles and equipment including (i) who has purchased those items and (ii) their declared purpose; and if she will (A) suspend all existing licenses and (B) halt any new licenses for the export of riot control projectiles and equipment to the US if it is determined that such equipment is being used in the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
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: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what guidance his Department provides to UK companies who want to trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Occupied Territories; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The Department for International Trade refers businesses who wish to trade with illegal settlements to the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The Government's position is clear that it is up to individual businesses whether they undertake business dealings with companies involved in the illegal settlements. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office provides advice to businesses online on the risks of undertaking such dealings and advises that businesses seek their own legal guidance.