Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what formal role the strategic trade advisory group will play in formulating trade policy.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly.
The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place.
Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online.
To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how he plans to maintain confidentiality in respect of proceedings of the Strategic Trade Advisory Group; and whether members of that group will be prohibited from (a) discussing such proceedings and (b) publicly criticising aspects of trade policy that may have been considered in proceedings of the group.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly.
The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place.
Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online.
To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether votes will take place in the Strategic Trade Advisory Group; what system will be used to administer such votes; and whether the results of such votes will be published.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly.
The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place.
Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online.
To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress he has made in establishing the Strategic Trade Advisory Group.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The process for appointing members to the STAG is almost complete and we expect to issue letters to successful candidates shortly.
The Group will advise the Secretary of State for International Trade but will not set Government policy. This will not be a decision-making body and therefore we do not expect votes to take place.
Members will be appointed to the Group for a defined period and will be expected to comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Terms of Reference to be agreed by the Group at the first meeting. In conjunction with the Chairs of the Group, officials will provide recommendations to the Secretary of State on any changes to the Group’s membership. This will include looking at whether the Group is sufficiently representative. Any changes proposed will be made with reference to the criteria set out in the guidance published as part of the call for expressions of interest. Changes to membership will be published online.
To facilitate an open and constructive discussion, members will be expected to conform to the highest standards of confidentiality and will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Members will also be asked to act in the interests of the UK and not as a representative of their organisation.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether decisions of the Trade Remedies Authority on the imposition of a trade defence measure will take effect immediately or within a specified number of days.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Trade Remedies Authority will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Trade on the imposition of measures. The Secretary of State will take a decision whether to accept or reject the recommendation.
Where the Secretary of State accepts the TRA’s recommendation, he will publish a notice in accordance with section 13 of the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018. The notice will specify that the measure comes into force the day following its publication.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the volume of (a) legislation and (b) regulations required to be (i) introduced and (ii) amended to give effect to the work of the Trade Remedies Authority; and how many of those items will be brought forward in secondary legislation.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The trade remedies framework is set out in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018, which received Royal Assent on 14 September.
The regulations that will set out the detail of the system will be laid by my Department in the coming weeks; we anticipate that this will amount to 3 substantive statutory instruments.
There will be also some need for amendment of other secondary legislation in relation to enabling appeals to be heard by the Upper Tribunal, and the imposition of trade remedy measures on affected imports. These will be included in statutory instruments to be laid by MoJ and HMRC respectively.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of British companies in EU supply chains in which a party has an outstanding trade complaint being (a) considered and (b) investigated by the EU.
Answered by George Hollingbery
Trade remedies are currently under EU competence while we remain a Member State.
The European Commission is currently conducting four anti-dumping investigations, two anti-subsidy investigations and 14 expiry reviews. The Commission provides information about complaints to Member States on a confidential basis. The involvement of British companies in EU supply chains varies on a case by case basis.
The UK is committed to a rules-based international trade system and is in the process of establishing the Trade Remedies Authority to ensure that UK businesses continue to be protected from unfair and injurious trade practices once we leave the EU.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the timeframe will be in which the Trade Remedies Authority will be required to conclude proceedings in respect of a WTO Article 5 investigation.
Answered by George Hollingbery
Article 5 of the WTO Agreement on Anti-Dumping sets out that investigations should normally be concluded within 12 months, and must not take longer than 18 months. The same rules apply in respect of subsidy investigations.
We have been clear that the TRA will be expected to comply with WTO rules; this includes in respect of timeframes where relevant.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act 2018 whether there will be a presumption that the Trade Remedies Authority will impose a trade remedy unless it can be demonstrated that the negative economic effect determined under the economic interest test outweighs the economic benefits of imposing that remedy.
Answered by George Hollingbery
Where the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) finds that there has been injury to a domestic industry caused by the import of dumped or subsidised goods, it is required to conduct an Economic Interest Test, as set out in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018, before recommending measures to the Secretary of State.
In applying that test, the Act makes clear in respect of anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties that there is a presumption in favour of measures being imposed. That presumption applies to the TRA, and to the Secretary of State, and means that measures will be imposed unless it can be demonstrated that the negative economic effects of doing so outweigh the positive.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether trade unions will be defined as interested parties in trade remedies investigations once the UK has an independent trade policy.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The UK trade remedies system will adopt the WTO definition of interested parties, that is:
Other parties who may have an interest in the case, such as Trade Unions, will be able to participate as contributors.