Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has made progress on securing trade deals with individual American states.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Government is engaging across the US to enhance our existing sub-federal relationships. We want to make it easier, cheaper and quicker for UK and US businesses to work together. We are taking a twin track approach to trading with the US, seeking out ways to unlock barriers for businesses at the state level in addition to our engagement at the federal level.
This includes pursuing Memorandums of Understanding (MOU), as well as other tools such as mutual recognition agreements with states. This complements our continued efforts to strike a free trade agreement with the federal government.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Fairtrade farmers and workers are considered in the Government’s trade policy.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Department for International Trade (DIT) works closely with a wide range of stakeholders, including trade unions, trade for development NGOs and the Fairtrade Foundation – whose CEO sits on DIT’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group – to understand fully the interests of Fairtrade farmers and workers, and seeks to negotiate outcomes that support fair treatment of workers around the world.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to address the effects of (a) Brexit and (b) covid-19 pandemic on UK trade.
Answered by Mike Freer
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is working to ensure its International Trade Service best supports DIT’s strategic objectives and HM Government’s approach to economic recovery from the pandemic. We announced a refreshed cross-government Export Strategy: Made in UK, Sold to the World on 17 November 2021 at the United Kingdom’s first International Trade Week. At its centre is our new Export Support Service (ESS), providing a single point of contact and entry for businesses exporting to Europe, helping businesses to navigate HM Government support.
In addition, DIT has initiatives such as the UK Export Academy and grants from the Internationalisation Fund which enable firms to grow internationally and build their capability to export. We have also agreed trade deals with 70 countries plus the EU, accounting for £766bn of UK bilateral trade in 2020, helping our nation become an open and truly Global Britain.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 her Department’s trade policies on growth for British businesses.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
We recently set out the potential benefits of a Free Trade Agreement with India in our published ‘Scoping Assessment’, which shows that the British economy could grow by between around £3,300 million and £6,200 million in the long run as a result of an agreement.
An ‘Impact Assessment’ has been published on the recently signed agreement with Australia too, which shows that the British economy could increase by around £2,300 million in the long run, compared to without the deal.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps her Department have taken to secure a free trade agreement with the United States.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
We have had five productive rounds of negotiations to date and agreed a significant proportion of legal text across multiple chapters.
In September 2021, my Rt.Hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the President of the United States agreed to continue working towards a future Free Trade Agreement.
In December 2021, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade travelled to the US to bolster UK-US trade ties, support increased transatlantic trade and investment, and build on our shared interests and priorities with the US.
During my visit in December, I held productive meetings with Governors, Mayors, Commissioners, and business leaders. These stakeholders had great interest in doing more trade with the UK, including Memoranda of Understanding agreement, which we are following up.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will make a statement on the Government’s ongoing position on the time limited waiver on covid-19 vaccine manufacture in the global south.
Answered by Mike Freer
I shall answer on the assumption that the Hon. Member for Preston is referring to the World Trade Organisation's (WTOs) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver, proposed by South Africa and India. However, this proposal is not time limited and in scope goes beyond both COVID-19 vaccines and the global south.
As such, I refer the Hon. Member for Preston to the answer given by my Hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, the Minister for International Trade, to the Hon. Member for Sefton Central on 23 November, UIN: 77440. I also note the continually increasing number of COVID-19 vaccines manufactured per month. Our challenge now is delivering vaccines and getting jabs administered.