Asked by: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June 2016 to Question 38925, what the planned opening date is for a reading room for hon. Members to scrutinise classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK remains committed to supporting an ambitious Transatlantic Trade and Investment deal which cuts regulatory and bureaucratic barriers without lowering standards, removes the remaining tariffs between the EU and US, and opens up opportunities for businesses.
As hon. Members will have read in a letter from my noble Friend the Minister of State (Lord Price CVO) for Trade Policy on 11 October, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership reading room will be open from 19 October. This will allow all hon. Members and Peers to view documents that the European Commission and US have agreed can be shared with national parliamentarians on a confidential basis.
Asked by: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 24 May 2016 to Question 37703, when he plans to establish the reading room for hon. Members to access Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership documents.
Answered by Anna Soubry
I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 5 July to Question UIN 41488.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and other international trade negotiations.
Answered by Anna Soubry
While the UK is still a member of the EU, all rights and obligations will apply. We continue to support the EU’s trade agenda and the UK will participate constructively in EU decision making on trade issues. We are taking stock of our position with regard to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and other trade negotiations.
Asked by: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications of the EU referendum result for his plans to agree and implement the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Answered by Anna Soubry
While the UK is still a member of the EU, all rights and obligations will apply. We continue to support the EU’s trade agenda and the UK will participate constructively in EU decision making on trade issues. We are taking stock of our position with regard to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement on (a) academy chains and (b) the ability of US or European companies to establish academy chains in the UK.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Government remains committed to academies and providing the best quality education for all children and young people. The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will not change this. The Government of the day will always set the rules governing how the education system is run.
We have protected public services, including education, in all of our trade agreements and will continue to do so in the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This is non-negotiable.
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent progress has been made on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiations; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The thirteenth round of negotiations for the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) took place between 20 and 24 April in New York. The next negotiating round is due to take place in July. We are making progress and our ambition remains to reach a political agreement during the Obama presidency.
The UK is working for an ambitious agreement that removes remaining tariffs between the EU and US, cuts the regulatory and bureaucratic barriers faced by our exporters without lowering our standards, and opens up opportunities for our businesses to compete for public procurement. We want a deal that is good for businesses of all sizes and for consumers.
In addition to the potential £10 billion annual benefit to the UK, TTIP provides an opportunity for the EU and US to shape the rules and standards for the global business environment.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answer of 1 March 2016 to Question 28171, what rules will apply to use of the reading room for hon. Members for classified documents relating to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; whether access will be limited to Members of both Houses; and when he plans to write to hon. Members to confirm how they can access and use those documents.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The next round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will take place in July. The UK reading room will be open in time to access documents related to this round and will be accessible to Members of both Houses and Whitehall officials.
Parliamentarians and officials will be required to respect EU rules governing the protection of classified TTIP documents made available in the reading room, which in practice means not sharing them or their contents with anyone who is not entitled to access the room.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Price on 10 May (HL8062), whether that answer assumes that the United States Congress will accept a "fast-track" procedure for ratifying the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership; and what assessment they have made of the likelihood of such a procedure being either endorsed or withdrawn by the new Congress in 2017.
Answered by Lord Price
Legislation to re-authorise Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) – sometimes called “fast track” – the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, was signed into law by President Obama on 29 June 2015. It will apply to certain international trade agreements – including the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership – if agreement is reached before 1 July 2018.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Answers of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010 and 11 April 2016 to Question 32109, when he plans to establish a reading room for hon. Members to access Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership documents.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The next round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will take place in July. The UK reading room will be open in time to access documents related to this round.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answers of 16 February 2016 to Question 26010 and 11 April 2016 to Question 32109, when he now plans to establish a reading room for hon. Members to access Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership documents.
Answered by Anna Soubry
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.