Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to assess the potential impact of trade deals and associated global goods transportation on the climate.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government seeks to assess the potential impact of new free trade agreements, including on several aspects of the environment, such as transport emissions, air and water quality, and biodiversity.
We have already published scoping assessments for agreements with the United States, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. An impact assessment for the United Kingdom-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has been published too.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade deals are currently being actively considered; which countries are covered in those proposals; and what the planned start date is for those negotiations.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
The United Kingdom has an ambitious programme of trade negotiations, as we work to become a truly Global Britain. We are currently pursuing negotiations with the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the European Economic Area (EEA), which consists of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. We have always been clear that negotiating a comprehensive and ambitious deal is more important than meeting any particular deadline.
Beyond these negotiations, we wish to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); we have announced a new Enhanced Trade Partnership with India, which will pave the way for a future United Kingdom-India FTA; and we will be seeking to enhance to our existing FTAs with Canada and Mexico.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade deals are currently being actively negotiated; which countries are covered in those negotiations; and what the expected date for completion is for those negotiations.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
The United Kingdom has an ambitious programme of trade negotiations, as we work to become a truly Global Britain. We are currently pursuing negotiations with the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the European Economic Area (EEA), which consists of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. We have always been clear that negotiating a comprehensive and ambitious deal is more important than meeting any particular deadline.
Beyond these negotiations, we wish to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); we have announced a new Enhanced Trade Partnership with India, which will pave the way for a future United Kingdom-India FTA; and we will be seeking to enhance to our existing FTAs with Canada and Mexico.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the Government’s position is on the proposed WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights waiver in response to the covid-19 pandemic and allowing countries to use it in their domestic context.
Answered by Greg Hands
I refer the Hon. Member for York Central to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for North East Fife on 25 November 2020, UIN: 115822.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, to which countries the UK exports (a) rubber bullets, (b) riot shields and (c) tear gas.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
The Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) about export licences granted, refused and revoked to all destinations on GOV.UK. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.
The data currently provides details of licences up to 31 December 2019. Information about the period 1 January to 31 March 2020 will be published on 14 July 2020 and data covering the period 1 April to 30 September 2020 will be published in October 2020.
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (‘Consolidated Criteria’). In reaching a decision, the Department for International Trade receives advice from a number of Departments including the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Together, we draw on all available information, including reports from NGOs and our diplomatic missions. The Consolidated Criteria provides a thorough risk assessment framework and requires us to think hard about the impact of licensing any equipment for export. These are not decisions my Department takes lightly, and we will not license the export of items where to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria.