Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) legal and (b) regulatory framework for UK arms exports.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s regulatory framework for export controls is set out in the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, which provide a thorough risk assessment process for reaching licensing decisions. The Court of Appeal judgment of 20 June does not undermine the UK’s overall framework for export controls as set out in the Consolidated Criteria. These Criteria have stood the test of time and are shared by EU Member States. The Court’s judgment is about how decisions were made in relation to one element of one of those Criteria in a specific context.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent estimate he has made of the level of tariffs that could be applied by both the UK and EU to food exports in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by George Hollingbery
Upon leaving the EU, the UK will be responsible for its own independent tariff regime. The UK will not be responsible for the tariffs the EU sets on its imports. The EU has stated through its technical notices that it will apply the EU’s Common External Tariff to UK exports in the event of a no deal, including on food products. The Government’s tariff schedule for a no deal scenario is being finalised. Once a final decision has been taken, we will bring forward legislation to the House and communicate this in an appropriate way for a market sensitive announcement.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the inclusion of the National Health Service in a future trade agreement between the US and the UK.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Government is prioritising UK-US FTA negotiations from April, having already laid the ground work for an ambitious agreement through joint working groups. Protecting the NHS is of the utmost importance and the UK Government’s position is that the NHS is not, and never will be, for sale to the private sector, whether overseas or domestic. The NHS is protected by specific exceptions and reservations in EU trade agreements, including the recent EU-Canada agreement (CETA). As we leave the EU, the UK will continue to ensure that rigorous protections are included in all trade agreements it is party to.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the effect on the Everything But Arms Agreement of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. The Act also enshrines into UK law the commitment contained in the UN Sustainable Development Goals to provide duty free quota free trade access for Least Developed Countries.
The UK trade preference scheme will provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme by granting duty-free, quota-free access to the 48 Least Developed Countries covered by the Everything But Arms tier.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the proportionality of the EU's counter-measures to US tariffs on steel and aluminium.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The EU’s rebalancing measures are a proportional and justified response to US tariffs on steel and aluminium, designed to prevent escalation. The Commission has said it will revise the list commensurately to any product exemptions received. Member States will have a say, through the Trade Barriers Committee, on any revised list.
We will continue to seek a constructive, permanent resolution with the US to avoid further escalation that would harm businesses and consumers in both the US and EU.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he had at the most recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting on the effect of Economic Partnership Agreements on developing countries in the Commonwealth.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Commonwealth is a strong and powerful network of nations. Intra-Commonwealth trade in goods and services is estimated to be $560 billion and projected to reach $700bn by 2020[1] and in 2016, UK-Commonwealth trade stood at £94 billion[2].
Britain is an international leader on development, and the Department for International Trade is working with the Department for International Development to ensure global prosperity is at the heart of our future trade policy. We are committed to ensuring developing countries in the Commonwealth can use trade as an engine of poverty reduction, and trade agreements play an important role in this.
This department continues to work with Commonwealth countries that are part of the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) or other preferential arrangements to ensure that there is no disruption to our existing trade as we leave the EU. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting we highlighted progress made in the transition of our trading relationships with these partners.
[1] Source: Commonwealth Secretariat Report
[2] Source: DIT analysis of ONS data
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of appointing a UK trade envoy to Malawi; and whether his Department plans to do so.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys engage with markets where substantial trade and investment opportunities have been identified by UK government.
The Prime Minister currently has ten Trade Envoys appointed to countries in Africa. They play an important role in enhancing the trade and investment work carried out by our teams on the ground, supporting UK companies exporting and investing in Africa and helping to make progress in efforts to tackle market access barriers. The Department for International Trade does not currently have a presence in Malawi, where the commercial relationship is relatively small. There are no plans to appoint a Trade Envoy to Malawi at this time.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of appointing a UK trade envoy to Malawi; and whether his Department plans to do so.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys engage with markets where substantial trade and investment opportunities have been identified by UK government.
The Prime Minister currently has ten Trade Envoys appointed to countries in Africa. They play an important role in enhancing the trade and investment work carried out by our teams on the ground, supporting UK companies exporting and investing in Africa and helping to make progress in efforts to tackle market access barriers. The Department for International Trade does not currently have a presence in Malawi, where the commercial relationship is relatively small. There are no plans to appoint a Trade Envoy to Malawi at this time.