Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what channels exist for organisations and stakeholders, who are not involved in the Trade Advisory Groups, to feed into trade negotiations and decision-making processes.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs) have been created to access strategic and technical expertise from within specific sectors that are vital to the British economy.
The TAGs are just one part of HM Government’s external engagement on international trade. The Department for International Trade continues to engage regularly with a wide range of interested parties, including one-to-one meetings and roundtables.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish country by country guides that will explain the key trading and administration changes for the countries that the UK (1) has concluded continuity trade agreements with, and (2) intends to conclude continuity trade agreements with.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
We have published reports alongside all signed agreements, outlining our approach to delivering continuity with all partners, and we will continue to do so for all continuity agreements yet to be signed.
We will publish further business guidance on trade agreements on GOV.UK this autumn.
Businesses and consumers are already able to find more information about continuity agreements, including product-specific and country-specific information on tariffs and regulations, using tools including Check How to Export Goods (CHEG). Additionally, the ‘Trade with the UK’ (TWUK) tool will provide businesses exporting goods into the British market with detailed and up-to-date information on topics such as tariffs, taxes and rules.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish how trade agreements reached with other countries will benefit (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, (3) Northern Ireland, (4) the north east of England, (5) the north west of England, (6) the Midlands and East Anglia, (7) the south east of England, (8) the south west of England, and (9) London.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government is committed to an inclusive and transparent trade policy. We have published Scoping Assessments for agreements with the United States, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
These Scoping Assessments set out the potential economic impacts, and we will publish impact assessments following the outcome of negotiations that will include an assessment of the impacts on every part of the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the government of Colombia's compliance with the UK–Andean countries trade agreement, specifically with regard to labour rights commitments.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The United Kingdom and the Andean countries, including Colombia, signed the UK-Andean Countries Trade Agreement on 15 May 2019. The agreement includes specific clauses on labour in the Trade and Sustainable Development chapter, which maintain high labour standards and protections for both the United Kingdom and our partners. The United Kingdom will use the Trade and Sustainable Development Free Trade Agreement committee to monitor these issues with the Andean partners.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their strategy for future trade relations with the Indian subcontinent.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
My Department has an ambitious agenda to strengthen bilateral trade relations between the United Kingdom and the Indian subcontinent. With India herself, we are developing an Enhanced Trade Partnership with the objective of deeper trade policy cooperation and the removal of barriers to doing business. We are also facilitating trade with other countries across the subcontinent, including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, through a generous trade preferences scheme and the potential for closer working in the future.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their strategy for future trade relations with the Commonwealth.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Commonwealth includes some of our closest friends and greatest allies. We share strong bonds and I hope the Noble Lord will welcome our commitment to work closely with Commonwealth countries to remove barriers and liberalise the global trading environment.
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in 2018, chaired by the United Kingdom, we committed to boosting intra-Commonwealth trade beyond $2 trillion (approximately £1.5 trillion) by 2030. Commonwealth leaders also adopted the ‘Commonwealth Connectivity Agenda for Trade and Investment’ to enhance co-operation amongst ourselves.
In October 2019, my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade chaired the sixth Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting, which reaffirmed the Commonwealth’s support for free trade and the rules based multilateral trading system.
HM Government is also funding several projects including the Commonwealth Trade Facilitation Programme, the Commonwealth Standards Network and the SheTrades Commonwealth Programme, and continues to support increasing trade and investment between Commonwealth partner countries, taking advantage of the average cost of trade between us being 19% lower than the cost of trade outside the Commonwealth.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their strategy for future trade relations with Latin America.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Department for International Trade works extensively in Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen the United Kingdom’s trade and investment relationships, with staff based in?19 countries?across the region.
The United Kingdom has concluded trade continuity agreements with Chile, CARIFORUM, six Central American countries and the Andean Community (Colombia, Peru and Ecuador), which will allow United Kingdom business to continue trading on preferential terms.
Additionally, HM Government is working with Peru, Mexico and Chile as part of the United Kingdom’s potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Ministers also regularly discuss trade with their counterparts, including through dialogues such as the UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to enforce protections for food and product safety and standards in trade deals.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
We remain committed to our high food safety, environmental, product and labour standards, and will use the full range of measures available to us to uphold Britain’s high regulatory standards.
HM Government passed the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, to convert EU law – as it was applied as of exit – into the law of the land. Furthermore, my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade established the Trade and Agriculture Commission to independently advise HM Government on how to ensure that British food safety and production standards are protected throughout trade negotiations.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the creation of trade advisory groups, what plans they have to carry out consultation on trade agreements with (1) civil society, (2) trade unions, (3) consumers, and (4) the general public.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs) do not include trade union representation. TAGs have been created to access strategic and technical expertise from within specific sectors that are vital to the British economy.
The TAGs are just one part of HM Government’s external engagement on international trade though. The Department for International Trade continues to engage regularly with a wide range of interested parties, including one-to-one meetings and roundtables.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the membership of the trade advisory groups established in July includes trade union representation; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Trade Advisory Groups (TAGs) do not include trade union representation. TAGs have been created to access strategic and technical expertise from within specific sectors that are vital to the British economy.
The TAGs are just one part of HM Government’s external engagement on international trade though. The Department for International Trade continues to engage regularly with a wide range of interested parties, including one-to-one meetings and roundtables.