Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he plans to seek the inclusion of investor protection clauses in trade agreements that he transposes with (a) Canada and (b) Japan.

This Government is engaged in a technical exercise to replicate as far as possible the effects of current EU trade agreements. We are working with our Canadian partners to transition investment provisions and ensure they work in the context of our bilateral relationship. The EU-Japan EPA does not include investment protection provisions and has already been voted on in Parliament, and will come into force on the 1^st February.

The Department engages widely with businesses, civil society, and other stakeholders, and will continue to do so as it works with partners to seek continuity in current trade relationships.