Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of Free Trade Agreements in (a) levelling up communities and (b) accelerating an industrial revival in (i) Stoke-on-Trent and (ii) Staffordshire.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Securing Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) will be a key driver in levelling-up the UK. The potential benefits of FTAs include better jobs, higher wages, more choice and lower prices for UK consumers and businesses.
Our scoping assessments show that the West Midlands could benefit from future FTAs with the US, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Stoke-on-Trent exported £458m and imported £696m worth of goods globally in 2018. Similarly, Staffordshire exported £4.6bn and imported £5.6bn worth of goods globally in 2018.Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential economic benefit to Stoke-on-Trent joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would open up new opportunities for our exporters in strategically important sectors, helping to support an industrial revival in the UK. Trade with members of CPTPP already benefits the region. In 2018, Shropshire and Staffordshire exported around £431m worth of goods to CPTPP countries and imported around £801m worth of goods from CPTPP countries[1]. In 2019, the West Midlands as a whole exported over £2.4 billion worth of goods to CPTPP member countries, representing around 8 per cent of the region’s exports. The West Midlands imported over £1.9 billion worth of goods from CPTPP member countries, representing just over 5% of goods imports to the region[2].
If the UK Government decides to formally apply for accession, we will publish an Outline Approach and a Scoping Assessment setting out our negotiating objectives and the potential benefits of accession, to the UK and the UK’s nations and regions.
[1] Source: HMRC Regional Trade in Goods Statistics, disaggregated by smaller geographical areas, NUTS2 level (released November 2019). Note data on regional trade with Brunei in unavailable.
[2] Source: HMRC Regional Trade in Goods Statistics (April to June 2020 release). Note data on regional trade with Brunei in unavailable.
Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
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 consumers of the proposals for a UK Global Tariff.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Liberalisation is typically beneficial for consumers. Consumers should benefit from the removal of tariffs on certain products that we do not produce, or do not produce much of in the UK. Removing these tariffs may lower cost pressures for UK households and businesses. The UK Global Tariff might expand consumer choice, driving competitive prices for households.
Tariffs are a tax, therefore the Government will publish a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) alongside the legislation, as is standard practice. More analysis will be available in the TIIN when it is published.
Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of a UK global tariff on the viability of UK ceramics manufacturers.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In setting tariffs on ceramics goods, we have reflected carefully on the interests of UK businesses, manufacturers and consumers as well as to the views expressed through the UK’s public consultation conducted in February 2020. Tariffs have been retained for most ceramic products. For example, tariffs on table and kitchenware are being retained at 12%.
Tariffs are a tax, therefore the Government will publish a Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) alongside the secondary legislation, which will be made under Section 8 of the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018. This is standard practice. More analysis will be available in the TIIN when it is published.
Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support her Department is providing to the UK tech sector to help it (a) export to and (b) access overseas markets.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 10 June, the Department for International Trade launched a future trade strategy for the UK tech sector, supporting companies to seize trade and investment opportunities overseas.
The new measures announced will seek to increase tech exports to fast-growing international markets and strengthen UK scaleup companies’ market readiness to export. For example, a new Digital Trade Network for Asia-Pacific will support UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to break into the Asian market, and the launch of a new Tech Exporting Academy will provide expert advice to UK scaleups on subject areas essential to expansion. These measures will help companies access overseas markets and unleash the UK’s potential on the world stage.
Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to promote and facilitate trade co-operation between the UK and Israel in the agricultural technology sector.
Answered by Graham Stuart
UK and Israel have a strong and important trading relationship and we are committed to strengthening that relationship. A dedicated DIT team in Tel Aviv British Embassy promotes trade cooperation between UK and Israeli companies.
A UK-Israel Tech Hub, working alongside DIT, creates partnerships between British companies and world class Israeli innovators across tech sectors, including agriculture.
Following the signature of the UK-Israel trade continuity agreement, Israel and UK expressed support for a future summit to be hosted in London aimed at increasing bilateral trade, including Agri-Tech. Planned for 2020, the event is on hold due to current corona circumstances.