Draft Public Procurement (International Trade Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2022

Heather Wheeler Excerpts

Wednesday 25th May 2022 General Committees

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mrs Heather Wheeler)]

I beg to move,

That the Committee has considered the draft Public Procurement (International Trade Agreements) (Amendment) Regulations 2022.

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship for I think the first time, Mr Hosie. This instrument will give legal effect in domestic regulations to the United Kingdom’s procurement obligations under the free trade agreement between the UK and the EEA-EFTA states of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The European Free Trade Association agreement has sought to reflect much of the provisions of the EU-EFTA agreement, by which the UK was bound as a member of EU. This is part of the Government’s wider approach to provide continuity as far as possible in existing trade and investment relations with third countries that had an agreement with the EU before we left the EU.

The UK-EFTA agreement was signed on 8 July 2021 and completed the scrutiny period prescribed under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 in October 2021. This instrument implements the procurement obligations contained in that agreement.

In terms of coverage under the agreement, the UK is an independent member of the World Trade Organisation’s agreement on government procurement, or GPA, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and other major world economies. The GPA aims to mutually open global public procurement markets and is worth some £1.3 trillion in guaranteed access to global procurement opportunities for UK firms. Importantly, these amendments do not add any burdens to the UK procurement process, nor do they reduce any UK procurement standards. I hope colleagues will join me in supporting the draft regulations, which I commend to the Committee.

[Rachel Hopkins (Luton South) (Lab)]

We have no further points to add and will not be pressing the regulations to a vote.

[The Chair]

Does the Minister have anything to add?

[Mrs Wheeler]

No, thank you very much, Mr Hosie. It has been a very lively Committee and I am grateful to everybody who came. I hope colleagues will join me in supporting the regulations.

Question put and agreed to.