Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps she has taken to include the mutual recognition of pharmaceutical products in trade agreement negotiations.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
The UK has secured a number of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) on Good Manufacturing Practices for pharmaceutical products in recent years. They comprise standalone MRAs with the US, Australia and New Zealand, with similar commitments contained in our Free Trade Agreements with Japan, Switzerland, Israel and Canada. New Free Trade Agreement negotiations are ongoing with Israel and Canada.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to support exports of pharmaceutical products produced in the UK.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
Pharmaceuticals are one of the UK’s top exports, valued at £20.3 billion in 2021, employing more than 136,000 people with a turnover of £64.2 billion. In line with the Export Strategy’s 12-point plan and as set out in the Board of Trade report on Life Sciences, the Department pursues an ambitious, targeted and strategic approach to promoting exports. This includes addressing market barriers, global defence of free trade, running novel innovation challenges, publishing targeted international sector-specific propositions and delivering focused export campaigns. These initiatives have been and continue to successfully showcase the UK's pharmaceutical national strengths to international audiences.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on future trade agreements and negotiations between the UK and non-EU countries caused by the UK remaining bound by the requirements of the EU's common commercial policy.
Answered by George Hollingbery
EU law (including the Common Commercial Policy) will apply in the UK during the Implementation Period. We have agreed with the EU that we will be able to negotiate, sign and ratify new trade deals during the Implementation Period.
As recognised in the Political Declaration, the UK’s future relationship with the EU will need to recognise the development of an independent UK trade policy.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on future trade agreements between the UK and non-EU countries of the UK remaining within a WTO-defined customs union with the EU (a) after 29 March 2019, (b) during the transition period and (c) after the transition period ends.
Answered by George Hollingbery
Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the UK will be free to negotiate, sign, and ratify FTAs during the Implementation Period.
During the Backstop, if it were ever to come into effect, we would be free to operate our own independent trade policy, including by negotiating our own FTAs, and implementing the areas that don’t affect the functioning of the backstop - including services and investment.
As agreed in the Political Declaration, the UK’s future relationship with the EU must recognise the development of an independent UK trade policy. The government has been clear that we will not be in the Single Market or the Customs Union as part of this.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effect of the provisions in the Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom and the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community on the ability of the UK to (a) agree and (b) implement international trade deals with countries outside of the EU.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Government has been very clear that the UK will have an independent trade policy under this agreement, that we will be able to set our own tariffs and negotiate, sign and ratify new free trade agreements after we leave the EU on 29 March.
The political declaration includes a commitment to an unprecedented free trade deal with the EU which recognises the development of an independent UK trade policy beyond the economic partnership with the EU. We have agreed in principle the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will be free to negotiate, sign and ratify new trade agreements during the time - limited implementation period, and to bring them into force from January 2021.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when he plans to launch consultations on future trade deals which are to be effective after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Government will be coming forward with plans for future free trade agreements in the near future.
The Department for International Trade has engaged widely since the EU referendum with a broad range of stakeholders, including businesses, trade associations, devolved administrations, civil society and consumers across the UK. Means of engagement have included townhall meetings, roundtable discussions, webinars, written consultations and bilateral meetings. The Government will continue to engage widely with stakeholders and welcomes continued input as it develops a future trade policy which supports the Government's industrial strategy and businesses and consumers across the whole nation.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of establishing a new UK-India trade deal when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Hollingbery
India is important for our future trading arrangements after we leave the EU. In 2017, UK-India bilateral trade was over £18bn, an increase of 15% on the previous year. The UK has been the top G20 investor in India over the last ten years, with the stock of UK FDI in India at £13.2bn in 2016. UK exports to India in 2017 amounted to £6.7bn (a 14.9% increase from 2016). Travel (28.8%), Transportation (19.8%), and Telecommunications (12.3%) were the biggest export sectors.
The UK-India Joint Trade Review (JTR) announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to India in 2016, has enabled us to better understand the bilateral trade relationship. The review has audited existing trade flows and mapped non-tariff barriers that could be collaboratively addressed, both at present and as we leave the EU.
In April 2018, both Prime Ministers agreed to forge a dynamic new trade partnership – taking forward recommendations from the Review - to develop new trading arrangements, facilitate investment in both directions and intensify collaboration on shared or complementary strengths.
Following the recommendations of the JTR, the UK and India agreed to use the next phase of collaborative work to focus on addressing non-tariff measures in three sectors: food and drink, life sciences and ICT. This will be pursued though further business engagement and regulator to regulator dialogues, reporting back to Ministers at the next Joint Economic and Trade Committee.
A further outcome of the JTR was a toolkit for Commonwealth Countries to follow and conduct their own trade reviews, available at http://www.cominnowealth.org/display/country-profiles/united-kingdom/. The UK-India joint statement as part of the Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK in April 2018 is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-india-joint-statement-shared-values-global-capability
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department he is planning to propose (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Greg Hands
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will retain EU law as it applies in the UK
on exit day.
We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required
across Government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book
functions appropriately outside the EU. All Departments are engaged in this
Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws. As we leave the EU, the
Government’s EU exit legislative programme is designed to cater for the full
range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department for International Trade was created in July 2016.
For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament.
For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department for International Trade was created in July 2016.
For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament.
For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.