Asked by: Lord Rose of Monewden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the remit of the new expert panel established to support UK trade negotiations includes the assessment of the impact of a policy change by leading emerging markets to reduce their dependence on imports; and if so, when the panel is expected to report the results of this assessment.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has convened a panel of academic experts in trade to advise on how we develop and use cutting-edge economic models and analytical techniques in our trade modelling. The purpose of the review is to examine DIT’s current approach to trade modelling and to consider how best to incorporate wider global economic developments and the latest academic thinking on measuring trade impacts in its modelling framework. The panel will advise on analytical methods and tools to capture the impact of changes in trade policy in general, it will not assess specific policy questions. Once the panel has made recommendations to improve DIT’s modelling capability, DIT will explore how best to incorporate these in our analysis in support of trade policy questions.
Asked by: Lord Rose of Monewden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to widen the membership of the Trade and Agriculture Commission to include representatives from (1) animal welfare groups, and (2) environmental groups.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
Membership of the Trade and Agriculture Commission was announced by my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade on 10 July.
Beyond the membership of the Commission itself, there are ways for relevant representatives to engage with and contribute to the work of the Commission, most notably as part of three technical working groups that have now been established around the themes of competitiveness, consumers and standards.
Further details on the terms of reference and membership of the Commission can be found on gov.uk: (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-and-agriculture-commission-tac).
Asked by: Lord Rose of Monewden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the tariff rate quotas outlined in the UK goods schedule submitted to the World Trade Organization on 24 July 2018; and if they have any such plans, which categories of goods are expected to be affected.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
On 21st December 2018, the United Kingdom opened a process under Article XXVIII of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade to negotiate tariff rate quotas, as we work to certify our World Trade Organisation goods schedule. The quotas cover a range of agricultural and non-agricultural goods as listed in our draft goods schedule. Changes to the quotas are possible as a result of those negotiations, but no agreements have yet been finalised. Independent of the negotiations, the United Kingdom may from time to time make technical amendments to her goods schedule.