Oral Answers to Questions

Scott Benton Excerpts

Thursday 15th December 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest) (Con)]

5. What steps her Department is taking to reduce barriers to global trade for British businesses.

[Scott Benton (Blackpool South) (Con)]

10. What steps her Department is taking to reduce barriers to global trade for British businesses.

[Sir Robert Syms (Poole) (Con)]

12. What steps her Department is taking to reduce barriers to global trade for British businesses.

--- Later in debate ---

[Greg Hands]

First, I commend my hon. Friend for his work as a former Minister at the Department. He will be delighted to know that we have increased the number of countries with which we have a free trade agreement to 71, in addition to the European Union itself. I also commend him for his work as trade envoy to Thailand and Brunei. He will know that we had our first ministerial joint economic and trade committee with Thailand in June, and we have agreed to deepen our trade relationship by developing an enhanced trade partnership. There are no current plans in place for an FTA, but this enhanced trade partnership could be the first step in laying the foundations for a potential FTA in the future.

[Scott Benton]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Gulf region offers huge opportunities for British businesses and their export potential? Is he able to update the House on his Department’s work in supporting trade to the region?

[Greg Hands]

My hon. Friend is always looking for opportunities for Blackpool businesses and his constituency. He is right: the UK is negotiating an ambitious trade deal with the Gulf Co-operation Council, and an FTA is expected to boost trade between our economies by at least 16%. We also engage bilaterally with GCC countries. For example, a key recent success was being able to get Holland & Barrett vitamin and food supplements into Qatar, which was worth an estimated £250,000.