Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2017 to Question 109062, whether the Government plans for the trade remedies investigating authority to be operational by the end of March 2019.

The creation of a Trade Remedies Authority is essential to protect UK industry against unfair and injurious trade practices and to ensure the UK is able to make a smooth exit from the EU.

In order to ensure continuity in relation to our trade around the world and avoid disruption for business and other stakeholders, the UK needs to prepare ahead of its exit from the EU for all possible outcomes of the negotiations, and ensure that we have made the necessary arrangements to operate a fully functioning trade policy, including our own Trade Remedies Authority.

In doing so, the Government will take account of the terms of any time-limited implementation period agreed between the UK and the EU.