Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether goods can be imported into Northern Ireland via Tariff Rate Quota Schemes under the trade deals which the UK has agreed with other countries since 1 January 2021.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
Traders importing into Northern Ireland can access UK TRQs by moving goods to Great Britain and clearing customs, then moving to Northern Ireland under the UK Trader Scheme, provided the goods moved meet wider requirements to be not “at risk,” as outlined on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-can-declare-goods-you-bring-into-northern-ireland-not-at-risk-of-moving-to-the-eu
At present, EU regulation 2020/2170, passed unilaterally by the EU in December 2020, significantly limits the terms on which NI traders can access quotas under the UK’s new trade agreements directly.
The UK put forward proposals to address this issue in our Command Paper of July 2021 and is continuing to press for solutions in negotiations with the EU on the Protocol.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) in what circumstances, and (2) under which conditions, Australian imports into Northern Ireland are able to benefit from the provisions of the UK trade deal with Australia.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The UK-Australia FTA applies to all four parts of the UK, including Northern Ireland.
There are some specific instances where Australian importers will see differences when moving goods into Northern Ireland as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol. However, the Protocol did not prevent the UK from including Northern Ireland in the market access granted to Australia in the FTA.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Northern Ireland is treated in the same way as the rest of the UK under the terms of the UK–Australia free trade agreement as a result of the effects of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland; and if not, what the difference will be.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
We have provided for the application of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to all four parts of the UK, which includes Northern Ireland. The FTA also takes into account the effects of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland by allowing the UK to take measures under the Protocol designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland and to protect the peace process.
Exporters in Northern Ireland will benefit from this FTA in the same way as exporters in England, Scotland and Wales.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with the Department of the Economy in Northern Ireland about the negotiations surrounding the UK’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Government engages extensively with the Department of the Economy in Northern Ireland on Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) negotiations and has done since the start of the process to join the agreement.
The CPTPP team’s extensive programme of engagement with the Department for Economy includes meetings every six weeks that provide updates on the progress of negotiations providing opportunities for officials to ask questions to technical policy leads.
The Ministerial Forum for Trade gives updates on CPTPP at ministerial level with the most recent taking place on 26th January 2022.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their plans to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, what assessment they have made of whether that Agreement would apply equally across the UK, given the requirements of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Government is clear that the UK must function as a single customs territory. Therefore, we will ensure the application of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to all four constituent nations of the UK, takes into account the effects of the Ireland/Northern Ireland (NI) Protocol. The Protocol mainly concerns trade in goods, and only for imports. NI businesses will therefore be able to benefit from the lower tariffs we will be able to deliver for exporters as a result of joining CPTPP.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government in what ways, if any, the application of the UK–Australia free trade deal agreed on 14 June will be different in Northern Ireland than in the rest of the UK.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Government will ensure the agreement works for the whole of the UK and takes appropriate consideration of the UK’s constitutional arrangements and obligations. The Government will provide for application of the treaty to all four constituent nations of the UK, taking into account the effects of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol.
Ministers and officials from the Northern Ireland Executive receive regular updates on the deal. Northern Ireland exporters will benefit fully from the Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Around 90% of all goods exports from Northern Ireland to Australia are machinery and manufacturing-based goods, and once in force this FTA will remove all tariffs on UK exports to Australia, which will help further boost Northern Ireland’s exports.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment has he made of the effect on businesses of the new rules in India preventing online retailers from selling products through vendors in which they hold an equity stake.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The UK is a strong supporter of modern and ambitious digital trade policy. The Digital economy, and e-commerce in particular are important drivers of wider economic growth. The UK believes in ensuring that all countries are able to access the benefits that e-Commerce can offer, and that this is crucial for alleviating poverty by contributing to a truly inclusive global trading system.
The UK will continue to support this objective in India, to help ensure a genuine level playing field for all UK businesses and support companies that have growing ambitions in this sector.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the import and export of defence related weaponry.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
No formal assessment on the impact of Brexit on defence exports and imports has taken place.
The Department for International Trade’s Defence and Security Organisation (DIT DSO) will continue to support the UK defence and security industries to export after Brexit.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what international trade missions his Department has scheduled for the next 12 months.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of international trade missions for the next 12 months will be placed in the libraries of the House shortly.
Recruitment for trade missions takes place in the months leading up to each event. During recruiting, companies are targeted from across the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many overseas trade missions planned for the next 12 months will include agri-food firms from Northern Ireland.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of international trade missions for the next 12 months will be placed in the libraries of the House shortly.
Recruitment for trade missions takes place in the months leading up to each event. During recruiting, companies are targeted from across the UK, including Northern Ireland.