Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Trade in Services Agreement supports the targets set at the COP21 climate change conference.
Answered by Greg Hands
Negotiations of the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) are ongoing. A trade sustainability impact assessment is being conducted on the TiSA. The terms of reference of the report include analysis of the impact of the TiSA on climate change. The final inception report can be found on the European Commission’s DG Trade website.
The Department for International Trade works closely with the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and other departments to ensure the TiSA aligns with the UK’s wider policy objectives. Irrespective of what is agreed in TiSA, all signatories to the Paris agreement will have to meet their climate change commitments under that agreement.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish the latest proposals on the Trade in Services Agreement.
Answered by Greg Hands
Information on the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) can be found on the European Commission’s dedicated TiSA website. In a bid to encourage transparency, the European Commission has published a large number of documents including its revised TiSA offer from May 2016, the EU proposals for institutional provisions and state-to-state dispute settlement, position papers and factsheets.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with representatives of the 53 countries with which Britain holds free trade agreements (FTAs) through its membership of the EU on the timetable for replacing those agreements with bilateral FTAs.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Prime Minister has been clear, we are not going to provide a running commentary on every twist and turn of these negotiations. We recognise the need for a smooth transition as the UK leaves the EU which minimises disruption to our trading relationships. Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade. We are taking advantage of all the opportunities available to us to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade once we leave the EU.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations he has received from non-governmental organisations on the reported use of arms sold by Britain to Saudi Arabia in Yemen.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
There have been no representations from non-governmental organisations on the reported use of arms sold by Britain to Saudi Arabia in Yemen.