Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when Government (a) Ministers and (b) Officials last held discussions with representatives of (i) the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCR) and (ii) the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on inclusion of (A) labour clauses or chapters and (B) the protection and promotion of human rights in trade agreements.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has high regard for workers' rights, and we are clear that there will be no reduction in UK labour protections in signing up to new Free Trade Agreements. The UK takes our commitments to the International Labour Organization very seriously and encourage our partners to do the same.
Furthermore, the UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world and we remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. This is usually undertaken separately to negotiations on free trade agreements.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what additional steps the Government is taking to embed human rights within its trade policy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world and we remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. This is usually undertaken separately to negotiations on free trade agreements.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking promote the right to (a) health care, (b) education, (c) food, (d) water and sanitation and (e) employment within trade agreements.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world and we remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. This is usually undertaken separately to negotiations on free trade agreements.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to include respect for the human rights of (a) consumers, (b) residents, (c) workers and (d) people living in poverty within trade agreements.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to either negotiating trade deals or supporting human rights. The UK assesses and considers appropriate action in response to egregious human rights violations and abuses globally, and this goes much wider than considering trade alone, drawing on the wider tools and levers at our disposal.
The UK is a leading advocate for human rights around the world and we remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. This is undertaken separately to negotiations on free trade agreements. Free trade agreements are not generally the most effective or targeted tool to advance human rights issues.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the trade agreements her Department is negotiating with (a) India and (b) the Gulf Cooperation Council include a commitment to meet International Labour Organisation (ILO) core labour standards.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have an ambitious programme of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to help our nation become a truly Global Britain. FTAs build relationships with our trading partners to break down barriers to trade and support growth, jobs and higher wages for UK workers.
The Government shares the public’s high regard for worker protections and will continue to advocate for labour standards and working conditions globally, including under the International Labour Organization.
While we do not comment on the details of live negotiations, the Government will continue to maintain protections of the UK’s labour standards in new trade agreements, including in talks with India and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether trade agreements under negotiation with (a) India and (b) the Gulf Cooperation Council will include binding labour clauses or chapters.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have an ambitious programme of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to help our nation become a truly Global Britain. FTAs build relationships with our trading partners to break down barriers to trade and support growth, jobs and higher wages for UK workers.
The Government shares the public’s high regard for worker protections and will continue to advocate for labour standards and working conditions globally, including under the International Labour Organization.
While we do not comment on the details of live negotiations, the Government will continue to maintain protections of the UK’s labour standards in new trade agreements, including in talks with India and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether trade agreements under negotiation with (a) India and (b) the Gulf Cooperation Council will include provisions on occupational health and safety, working hours and wages.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have an ambitious programme of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations to help our nation become a truly Global Britain. FTAs build relationships with our trading partners to break down barriers to trade and support growth, jobs and higher wages for UK workers.
The Government shares the public’s high regard for worker protections and will continue to advocate for labour standards and working conditions globally, including under the International Labour Organization.
While we do not comment on the details of live negotiations, the Government will continue to maintain protections of the UK’s labour standards in new trade agreements, including in talks with India and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2022 to Question 14638 on Energy Charter Treaty, what proportion of cases brought by UK companies under that Charter have been in the (a) renewable energy sector and (b) oil, gas and mining sector; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
According to information held by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) cases have been brought by UK investors under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) on 16 occasions. Of these, 8 relate to the renewable energy sector, and 8 to the oil, gas, and mining sectors. Full case details can be found on the UNCTAD website.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the environmental impact of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions in trade agreements; and whether her Department plans to seek to include ISDS provisions in any UK-India trade agreement.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Where the United Kingdom and her treaty partners agree deals containing investment protections and Investor-State Dispute Settlement, they retain the right to regulate in the public interest, including for environmental purposes. The right to regulate is recognised in international law.
An agreement with India will aim to tackle and reduce the barriers and difficulties faced by British investors. HM Government’s approach to negotiations with India is publicly available at GOV.UK.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what data her Department holds on how much funding the UK has invested in Kazakhstan's energy sector in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Department for International Trade does not produce or hold data on how much funding the UK has invested in Kazakhstan’s energy sector. However, data on UK investment is published by the Office for National Statistics, and can be accessed via the Department for International Trade and Investment Factsheets: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/trade-and-investment-factsheets