Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they intend to raise awareness among small and medium-sized enterprises of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and of the benefits of membership, including by reference to the size and growth of the CPTPP market.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has an extensive programme of engagement to raise awareness of CPTPP, an agreement comprising over 500 million people and a combined GDP of £12 trillion in 2023, when including the UK, among small and medium-sized enterprises.
We aim to reach as many businesses as possible to ensure they have the knowledge needed to take advantage of the commercial opportunities afforded to them in CPTPP markets. This includes running over 60 webinars, workshops, roundtables and events for, and often in partnership with, UK businesses.
The Department has also published 70+ practical CPTPP guides on great.gov.uk, aimed at supporting SMEs.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote trade with Japan, as a fellow member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade has an active programme of FTA Utilisation to promote the benefits of the UK’s Free Trade Agreements with Japan, including CPTPP and the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). This includes running Export Academy webinars on our FTAs, training sessions for UK business delegations visiting Japan, podcasts on our FTAs with Japan, and an ambitious programme of business engagement on CPTPP which included over 50 DBT-led events across October and November. On the 15th December, the department published 11 new CPTPP guides with Japan-specific content on great.gov.uk, designed to support UK exporters.
Asked by: Lord Booth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a unit within the Civil Service dedicated to promoting trade with parties to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the CPTPP as a bloc.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department has a dedicated team focused on the implementation of the CPTPP Agreement now it has entered into force. They work closely with the Free Trade Agreement Utilisation (FTAU) team who exist to promote the benefits of the UK’s FTAs. To coincide with entry into force of CPTPP, the department published 70+ new guides for exporters on great.gov.uk. There is an ambitious programme of business engagement on CPTPP which included over 50 DBT-led events across October and November. Following entry into force, FTAU will continue to deliver practical support in utilising the agreement, including through workshops and webinars.