Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will give hon. Members access to the draft text of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations are yet to reach a stage where there are stable and complete draft texts. As such, it is too early for these texts to be shared. However, a final draft agreement will be subject to ratification by each Member State of the EU, as well as the EU itself. As part of this process Parliament will receive the complete draft text of the agreement in good time and have an opportunity to scrutinise it through debates in both Houses.
In addition, the Government will continue to keep Parliament up to date throughout the TTIP negotiations. The agreement has been debated in both Houses and been subject to a Committee inquiry in the House of Lords and reviewed by the European Scrutiny Committee of the House of Commons. My noble Friend, Lord Livingston of Parkhead will continue to write to the European Scrutiny Committee chairs of both Houses and the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on EU-US Trade and Investment after each negotiating round to update them, and the Government can arrange for further detailed briefings to interested Hon Members.
Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on what occasions Ministers from his Department have met (a) representatives of society lotteries and (b) representatives of Camelot or the National Lottery since December 2012.
Answered by Helen Grant
Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the gov.uk website and are available at:
Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he has made an assessment of the potential effect of automatic energy imports from the US to the EU arising from the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations on EU carbon emission targets.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Concluding an ambitious and comprehensive EU-US trade deal that benefits UK consumers and business, especially small and medium sized enterprises, is a priority for the Government. Improved access to US exports of energy would form part of a successful Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership agreement, helping to diversify the EU’s energy sources, and is therefore an EU priority in the negotiations. Internal EU negotiations on carbon emissions targets are at an advanced stage and involve consideration of the energy profiles of the EU as a whole and of individual EU Member States across the full range of options. These options include the potential role of increased imports of gas, from the US and elsewhere, to help to reduce EU emissions levels in future decades.
Factors such as the time needed to build new export terminals in the US and costs of liquefaction and transport mean that it is likely to be some years before EU Member States could import US gas in significant quantities. Recent events in Ukraine further underline the need for the EU to diversify its energy sources. Making full use of indigenous energy resources is also important for energy security. Here in the UK, the Government continues to work closely with industry to encourage further investment in domestic energy production, including oil, gas, nuclear and renewables.
Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many meetings in the last year between insurance sector professionals and Ministers or senior officials of his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed.
Answered by Lord Swire
Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.
Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many meetings in the last year between energy sector professionals and Ministers or Senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed.
Answered by Lord Swire
Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk. Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many meetings in the last year between manufacturing sector professionals and Ministers or Senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed.
Answered by Lord Swire
Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.
Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many meetings in the last year between financial sector professionals and Ministers or Senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed.
Answered by Lord Swire
Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.
Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many meetings in the last year between agricultural sector professionals and Ministers or Senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed.
Answered by Lord Swire
Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.
Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many meetings in the last year between pharmaceutical sector professionals and Ministers or Senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed.
Answered by Lord Swire
Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.
Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Jim Sheridan (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many meetings in the last year between chemical sector professionals and Ministers or Senior officials in his Department the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership has been discussed.
Answered by Lord Swire
Details of meetings held by Ministers and Permanent Secretaries with external organisations are published quarterly and can be found at Gov.uk.
Information requested in respect of other officials’ meetings is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.