Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will seek an investment facilitation memorandum between the UK and Morocco at the forthcoming Association Council to support UK investment in Morocco ahead of the 2030 World Cup, similar to the agreement signed with Peru ahead of the 2019 Pan-American Games.

Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston

The UK Government is keen to strengthen trade ties with Morocco, which deliver mutual benefits. Both countries will be hosting major football tournaments later this decade, and the Government is working closely with Morocco to share knowledge ahead of the delivery of these events.

In 2017, HM Government signed a government-to-government agreement with Peru to support the delivery of infrastructure for the 2019 PanAmerican Games on-time and on-budget. We plan to share our experience with the Moroccan government at the forthcoming UK-Morocco Association Council.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what impediments remain in the way their ambition to eliminate tariffs on fresh produce imported from Morocco.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department for Business and Trade (DBT) are working closely together to negotiate a balanced and equitable outcome for the Morocco Agriculture Tariff Review, which is a commitment both sides made under the UK-Morocco Association Agreement. We continue to work closely with the Moroccan government to further liberalise any remaining tariffs and maximise trade under the agreement. At the launch of the tariff review last year, we discussed a range of priority sectors, including fresh produce like fruits and vegetables which constitute around 35% of all goods imported from Morocco to the UK. Whilst we are keen to diversify the supply of imported Moroccan goods on UK shelves and seek opportunities to expand exports of British food and drink, we will ensure that this is not done at the expense of British farmers, their produce, and the seasonal nature of UK production more generally.

The Sub-Committee on the Windsor Framework is conducting a new inquiry on strengthening Northern Ireland’s voice in the context of the Windsor Framework. The Windsor Framework now includes a complex institutional architecture, which has evolved over a number of years and has been added to by the Government’s recent announcements in the command paper ‘Safeguarding the Union’. The Committee’s new inquiry hopes to bring clarity to the various mechanisms and bodies established under the Windsor Framework and explore how the voices of Northern Ireland stakeholders, policymakers and politicians can be heard most effectively.