Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government plans to extend safeguards on steel imports beyond their expiry in June 2021.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
The Trade Remedies Investigations Directorate (TRID) initiated a review of the steel safeguard measure on 1st October 2020.
We anticipate that TRID – which will become the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) on 1st June – will complete the review in time for a decision by my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade before the measure expires on 30th June.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the UK has changed its position on the TRIPS waiver proposal at the WTO that would suspend global patent rules during the covid-19 pandemic in response to the US government supporting that proposal.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave earlier today (UIN: 448).
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department plans to reduce or remove any tariffs in the egg industry for non-EU countries in 2021.
Answered by Greg Hands
The agricultural products that are protected by tariffs have been selected according to the principles set out in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018. Where tariff lines have been retained in sectors such as agriculture, this has been done to tailor the policy to the needs of the UK economy and to balance the interest of both producers and consumers.
Analysis showed that some production would be significantly impacted in an adverse manner by liberalisation. Therefore, tariffs on certain products, such as eggs, are being retained but simplified.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to research published by Wageningen University in its report The Competitiveness of the UK Egg Sector, an international comparison of production costs, base year 2018, published in 2019, whether her Department has carried out an assessment of the effect on the British egg industry in the event that tariffs are reduced or removed across different tariff lines.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government has followed an evidence -based approach throughout the development of the UK Global Tariff (UKGT).
The Government used a range of analytical tools and evidence to develop the UKGT, including responses to the public consultation and analysis of international trade flows. This evidence was carefully considered along with a range of factors, such as the five principles set out in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if her Department will (a) protect the British egg industry’s current standards in trade negotiations with the US and (b) prevent tariff-free access for eggs and egg products that are produced from hens kept in barren battery cages and similar systems.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government has made it clear that any future deal with the US must work for UK consumers, farmers and food manufacturers, as well as protect the UK’s high standards of food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection. The UK’s Food Standards Agencies will continue to ensure that all imports meet domestic standards, and the EU Withdrawal Act will transfer all existing provisions onto the UK statute book.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will make it her policy to support the proposed WTO waiver on IP protection, as proposed by India and South Africa, to support the global scale up of covid-19 medical products such as treatments and vaccines.
Answered by Greg Hands
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 25 November to Question UIN 115822.