Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of improving parliamentary scrutiny procedures for international trade agreements.

Effective parliamentary scrutiny of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) is vital. The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG) gives Parliament the statutory right to scrutinise treaties prior to ratification, and includes the power to block ratification. Parliament must also pass legislation that may be necessary to implement a treaty.

In addition, the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee plays an important role in scrutinising the Government’s trade policy.

Taken together, the current framework facilitates robust parliamentary scrutiny of FTAs.