Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he is taking steps to ensure commitments to academic freedom are discussed in the negotiation of trade agreements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade are currently assessing progress across the programme of Free Trade Agreements (FTA) currently under negotiation and determining which matters will be raised in negotiations. The Department's trade deals will be aligned with our industrial strategy and designed to bring prosperity to communities across the country and fulfil our mission of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7.
The UK maintains the right to regulate public services, including the education sector, in all our trade agreements. FTA commitments typically do not prevent treaty partners from imposing domestic restrictions on academic freedom.