Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what her Department's planned timescale is for the review of banana tariffs.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK-Andean Countries Trade Agreement is due to commence in summer 2024. The agreement does not commit the UK to any further liberalisation of the market.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of company registrations with Companies House were reported as fraudulent in 2022.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Companies House currently does not have a dedicated fraud allegation reporting route and does not hold data on alleged fraudulent company registrations.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential preference erosion impact of accession to CPTPP; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
As part of the UK’s negotiations to accede to CPTPP the Government carefully considered the impact on developing countries, seeking to achieve a careful balance between supporting developing country economies and reducing poverty through trade, while protecting the interests of UK businesses and consumers.
Alongside our FTA negotiations, the Government is continuing to use our independent trade policy to introduce the Developing Trading Scheme – one of the most generous trading preference schemes in the world aimed at helping countries develop through trade.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of tariff liberalisation for palm oil imports on deforestation in palm oil supplying countries; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of seeking a side letter with Malaysia to make tariff preferences contingent on environmental criteria.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Existing tariffs on palm oil from Malaysia are already low, and the Government's focus is on working with countries like Malaysia to support the sustainable production of palm oil, rather than seeking to stop palm oil entering the UK market altogether. It is encouraging that 72% of UK imports of palm oil were certified as sustainable in 2021, up from 16% in 2010, and that deforestation related to palm oil in Malaysia has fallen by 60% since 2012 (in the latest available figures - 2018).
CPTPP provides the opportunity to strengthen cooperation with CPTPP members in addressing deforestation, and at accession we will publish a joint statement with Malaysia setting out our shared commitment to work together to promote sustainable production of commodities and protect forests.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Government plans to remove import tariffs on Malaysian palm oil in connection with negotiations over UK membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Following the substantial conclusion of negotiations on the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), I can confirm that the UK’s import tariffs for palm oil duties for all CPTPP Parties will be eliminated at entry into force of the UK’s accession to CPTPP.