Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they measure the success of Free Trade Agreements.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has committed to publishing a biennial free trade agreement (FTA) monitoring report, starting in 2023, covering key monitoring indicators.
DIT has also committed to publishing comprehensive ex-post evaluation reports for the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the UK-Australia FTA and UK-New Zealand FTA within 5 years of these agreements entering into force. These reports will use a mixed methods analytical approach aiming to show how, why, and for whom the agreements and their implementation have generated outcomes.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the UK's Free Trade Agreement with Japan since 23 October 2020, what assessment she has made of the effect of that agreement on UK (a) small and medium enterprises, (b) financial services, (c) car manufacturers, (d) food safety, (e) animal welfare and (f) digital commerce.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department for International Trade (DIT) published an impact assessment of the long-term effects of UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on 23 October 2020. This included an assessment of the potential impacts on small and medium enterprises, and across sectors – including automotive and financial services – alongside consideration of digital trade provisions. The Government has been clear that we will not compromise on our high food safety standards and animal welfare –CEPA is no exception to this.
DIT has committed to publishing a biennial free trade agreement monitoring report starting in 2023 and a comprehensive evaluation report for CEPA within 5 years of its entry into force. The evaluation report will focus on specific sectors that monitoring suggests may have been particularly affected by the agreement.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress her Department has made on achieving its aim of covering 80 per cent of the UK's external trade by trading with countries with which the UK has entered into a free trade agreement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
To date the UK Government has secured trade agreements with 71 countries plus the EU, partners that accounted for 63.2% (£808bn) of UK bilateral trade in 2021. This includes agreements with Australia and New Zealand as well as the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which goes beyond continuity. We are continuing to work at pace to deliver our comprehensive free trade agreement programme. Recent developments include launching negotiations with Mexico and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Additionally, in June we concluded the fourth round of negotiations with India, as well as the second round of negotiations with Canada.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the proportion of the UK's external trade with countries with which the UK has a free trade agreement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
To date the UK Government has secured trade agreements with 71 countries plus the EU, partners that accounted for 63.2% (£808bn) of UK bilateral trade in 2021. This includes agreements with Australia and New Zealand as well as the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which goes beyond continuity. We are continuing to work at pace to deliver our comprehensive free trade agreement programme. Recent developments include launching negotiations with Mexico and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Additionally, in June we concluded the fourth round of negotiations with India, as well as the second round of negotiations with Canada.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trade agreements (a) signed since January 2019 and (b) targeted for agreement in the next five years on (i) the economy, (ii) each employment sector and (iii) each of the UK regions in the next five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Our published economic assessments set out the potential long-run impacts of new free trade agreements (FTAs) on the United Kingdom’s GDP, sectors, and employment, as well as the potential implications for all corners of the country.
Since January 2019, the department has published scoping assessments for potential new agreements with the US, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and India and impact assessments at signature for FTAs with Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trade agreements signed since January 2019 on (a) the economy, (b) each employment sector and (c) each of the UK regions in the next five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Our published economic assessments set out the potential long-run impacts of new free trade agreements (FTAs) on the United Kingdom’s GDP, sectors, and employment, as well as the potential implications for all corners of the country.
Since January 2019, the department has published scoping assessments for potential new agreements with the US, Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and India and impact assessments at signature for FTAs with Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Asked by: Anum Qaisar (Scottish National Party - Airdrie and Shotts)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the extent to which UK free trade agreements support women's rights and gender equality.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment is central to the Government’s ‘Modernising Trade’ agenda and features explicitly in UK negotiation objectives.
We are using our FTAs to open new opportunities for women. We have already secured dedicated chapters with Japan, Australia, and New Zealand as well as important additional commitments across these agreements.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2021 to Question 146, on Trade Agreements: Japan, whether she plans to correct her Department’s declaration of ministerial travel published on 7 May 2021 to reflect the accurate cost to the public purse of her predecessor’s subsistence and other expenses excluding travel when visiting Japan in October 2020.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The declaration will be updated in the next 30 days.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which of the following protected UK geographical food and drink names were among the 77 proposed geographical indications submitted by her Department to the Japanese authorities on 30 April 2021 (a) Darnibole, (b) Gloucestershire Perry, (c) Traditional Bramley Apple Pie Filling, (d) Traditional Farmfresh Turkey, (e) Traditionally Farmed Gloucestershire Old Spots Pork, (f) Traditionally Reared Pedigree Welsh Pork, (g) Quality Sparkling Wine and (h) Regional Sparkling Wine.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
We cannot comment on specific applications that have been put forward for protection in Japan. However, Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (such as Traditional Bramley Apple Pie Filling, Traditional Farmfresh Turkey, Traditionally Farmed Gloucestershire Old Spots Pork and Traditionally Reared Pedigree Welsh Pork) and Traditional Terms (Quality Sparkling Wine and Regional Sparkling Wine) are not eligible for protection in trade deals in the same way as geographical indications, and would therefore not have been among the eligible protected names put forward.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2022 to Question 133932, whether the Japanese authorities are expected to (a) begin public consultation on designation of the remaining 39 UK geographical indications before December 2022 and (b) provide their own proposed list of at least 38 additional Japanese geographical indications for public consultation in the UK at the same time.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Japan will carry out its domestic processes as appropriate. Our expectations are that the remaining UK geographical indications (GIs) will begin going through Japan’s domestic processes once the current set is completed, and that Japan will submit further GIs for our domestic processes once we have completed procedures for the current set.