Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Trade Act 2021 to prevent future international trade agreements from including provisions relating to the operation of the NHS.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Section 2(5) of the Trade Act already ensures that international trade agreements, within the scope of the Act, cannot include provisions which are inconsistent with maintaining a UK publicly funded healthcare service.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has (a) made an assessment and (b) commissioned analysis of the potential impact of a trade deal with the US on the NHS.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
In their meeting on 27 February, the Prime Minister and President Trump agreed to work together on a trade deal focused on tech. The government is clear that we will only ever sign trade agreements that align with the UK's national interests. The NHS will never be on the table for any trade agreement.