Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
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 support for the development and export of tidal technology.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Secretary of State has had no discussions with other Cabinet colleagues on this matter.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the UK will not accept imports (a) with higher Maximum Residue Levels than currently allowed and (b) with pesticide residues currently banned in the UK from countries with pesticide standards lower than the UK's, after the transition period.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
The approach of HM Government to food standards in trade deals is clear. We remain firmly committed to upholding Britain’s high environmental, food safety and animal welfare standards.
As we take back control of our laws from the EU, we will decide how we set and maintain our own laws, standards and regulations. When the Transition Period ends, we will be a global leader in environmental protection and animal welfare standards, maintaining the high-quality of our produce for consumers at home and overseas.
Our current high standards, including on import requirements, will continue to apply after the end of the Transition Period. The 2018 Withdrawal Act will transfer all existing food safety provisions, including existing import requirements, onto the United Kingdom’s statute book.
Our food standards, for both domestic production and imports, are overseen by the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. These agencies provide independent advice to HM Government and the devolved administration in Scotland respectively. They will continue to do so, in order to make sure that all food imports – from any country – comply with the United Kingdom’s high standards.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the Government's timetable is for holding (a) discussions, (b) meetings and (b) negotiations with the Australian Government on a potential UK - Australia free trade agreement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to negotiating and securing an ambitious free trade deal with Australia as soon as is practical. During these unprecedented times we are working with our negotiation partners to consider options for conducting negotiations in a way that reflects the current situation and respects public health.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what her Department's (a) objectives and (b) planned timetable are for agreeing a trade deal with Australia.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to negotiating and securing an ambitious free trade deal with Australia as soon as it is practical in a way which respects public health at this current time. We will jointly decide with Australia on how and when to proceed with the negotiations as the developing situation with COVID-19 becomes clearer.
The UK Government will publish its negotiating objectives for a UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement, before negotiations start. This will be accompanied by a scoping assessment which will set out the potential economic impacts of any agreement.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what bilateral free trade agreements her Department is discussing; and on what dates she plans to publish the negotiating objectives for those free trade agreements that do not relate to the US or EU.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Government is committed to the international free trade agenda. During these unprecedented times we are looking at options to conduct negotiations in a way that reflects the current situation and respects public health. Negotiating objectives will be published before the launch of negotiations.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential (a) environmental and (b) social impacts on the UK of a UK trade deal with Australia.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
At the start of free trade agreement negotiations with Australia, the Government will publish its Outline Approach which will include our negotiating objectives. This will be accompanied by a scoping assessment which will set out the potential economic impacts of any agreement.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she plans to prohibit imports from (a) New Zealand, (b) Australia and (c) other future trading partners of food produced under systems banned in the UK.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is vital that we explore new trading opportunities, but that should not mean a dilution of the standards for which British food is world renowned. Without exception, imports into the UK will meet our stringent standards and any future deals must work for UK consumers, farmers and companies.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the level of regulatory divergence on goods between the UK and Australia; and what steps she is taking to ensure that goods produced under systems with lower levels of environmental regulation are not imported into the UK.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We continue to consider Australian regulations and engage with our Australian counterparts to build a shared understanding of our countries’ approaches and ambitions for our future bilateral trade relationship. In line with our international obligations, the Government will continue to ensure a high level of protection of the environment in new trade agreements. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections and has made clear that we will not compromise on these.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential effectiveness of alternative investor protection provisions in relation to a free trade agreement between the UK and Australia.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government is keen to ensure that UK investors overseas benefit from strong protections against discriminatory or unfair treatment from a host state. The precise details of any future UK Free Trade Agreement with Australia are a matter for formal negotiations, and we would not seek to pre-empt these discussions.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for (a) her policy on investor-state dispute settlement in a future UK-Australia trade agreement and (b) the Government's climate change objectives of the recent use of that dispute settlement by energy companies overseas.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is clear that our future investment policy will continue to protect our right to regulate in the public interest, including to meet our climate change and environmental objectives. There is yet to be a successful investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) claim against the UK, nor has the threat of potential disputes affected the government’s legislative programme.