Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the economic impact of the UK's trade deals with (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand on farmers in the South West.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Impact Assessments of the Free Trade Agreements between the UK and Australia and the UK and New Zealand have been published by the department and are available on gov.uk. These include impacts on UK nations and English regions and on sectors of the economy.
In the central estimates, the UK-Australia FTA could increase GVA in the South West by £131m, and the UK-New Zealand FTA by £34m, in the long run.
The documents also describe the potential impacts on the agri-food sectors for the UK. Sectoral impacts by nation and region are not available.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many Ministers in her Department have visited Shropshire in the last 12 months to discuss the impact of trade agreements, including on local farming communities.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
We have secured trade agreements with 70 countries, plus the EU, covering trade worth £766 billion last year, delivering benefits for communities across the country. An impact assessment is published when the text of a new free trade agreement is laid in Parliament, which presents the economic benefits of the deal. For example, compared to the United Kingdom not having an agreement with Japan, output in the West Midlands is expected to be £56 million higher in the long run (in 2017 terms).
Our trade agreements unlock new opportunities for our agriculture, food and drink sector and we will continue to work with producers and suppliers to make sure the sector is represented in future free trade agreements. In addition, the independent Trade and Agriculture Commission will scrutinise new free trade agreements once they are signed, providing an additional layer of independent scrutiny.
Ministers regularly visit farmers across Britain to discuss the opportunities presented by free trade agreements and the export support that the Department for International Trade can provide. For instance, the then Secretary of State for International Trade visited Shropshire in July. We continue to support farming and food businesses to seize global export opportunities through our Export Support Service, our online digital platform at GREAT.GOV.UK, and through our people dedicated to agriculture, food and drink across the United Kingdom and our global network.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government has carried out an impact assessment on the potential effect of free trade agreements with (a) Australia and (b) New Zealand on the UK farming sector, by region.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
We have secured trade agreements with 70 countries, plus the EU, covering trade worth £766 billion last year, delivering benefits for communities across the country. An impact assessment is published when the text of a new free trade agreement is laid in Parliament, which presents the economic benefits of the deal. For example, compared to the United Kingdom not having an agreement with Japan, output in the West Midlands is expected to be £56 million higher in the long run (in 2017 terms).
Our trade agreements unlock new opportunities for our agriculture, food and drink sector and we will continue to work with producers and suppliers to make sure the sector is represented in future free trade agreements. In addition, the independent Trade and Agriculture Commission will scrutinise new free trade agreements once they are signed, providing an additional layer of independent scrutiny.
Ministers regularly visit farmers across Britain to discuss the opportunities presented by free trade agreements and the export support that the Department for International Trade can provide. For instance, the then Secretary of State for International Trade visited Shropshire in July. We continue to support farming and food businesses to seize global export opportunities through our Export Support Service, our online digital platform at GREAT.GOV.UK, and through our people dedicated to agriculture, food and drink across the United Kingdom and our global network.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will include consideration of climate impacts as part of any new trade deals.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
We conduct initial scoping assessments ahead of new Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and impact assessments once FTAs have been signed. These look at climate change as well as environmental concerns from biodiversity to air quality.
We have agreed ambitious environmental chapters with both Australia and New Zealand, which preserve our right to regulate to meet net zero, affirm our shared commitment to the Paris Agreement and seek to cooperate on a range of environmental issues.
Through trading relationships and promoting the take up of green tech, we can support global goals on the environment.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with AMR Capital, the owners of the proposed Whitehaven coal mine, on the export destination of mined coal from Cumbria.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Secretary of State for International Trade has had no discussions with AMR Capital (the major shareholder of West Cumbria Mining) on the export destination of mined metallurgical coal from West Cumbria Mining’s proposed Whitehaven coal mine. Nor did she have any discussions with AMR Capital during her previous role as Minister of State for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change and UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what her policy is on the UK seeking trade deals with other countries similar to those terms negotiated with Australia.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Building on the success of the UK’s recent Agreement in Principle with Australia, the Government will continue to pursue deals with the New Zealand and the US. The Government is progressing plans to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and has recently launched public consultations for Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with India, Canada and Mexico.
The Government will continue to use a range of trade policy tools to strengthen bilateral trading relations with economic and strategic partners across the world. This includes exploring the options for new FTAs.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help facilitate the export of British farm produce to Australia.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is helping our farmers and food producers to capitalise on the demand for British food and drink in Australia and elsewhere in the world. DIT is working with organisations such as the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, farmers’ unions and the Food and Drink Federation to deliver tailored support for agriculture and food exporters through our Open Doors programme. We are also looking carefully at what further export support we can put in place, in response to the recommendations from the Trade and Agriculture Commission.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she plans to work with the Leader of the House to bring any proposed trade deal with Australia to the House to be scrutinised before it is signed.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has put a suite of enhanced scrutiny arrangements in place to allow for appropriate scrutiny by Parliament. This includes:
At the conclusion of negotiations, there will be opportunity for scrutiny of the final deal, including time for the relevant Select Committees and the Trade and Agriculture Commission to produce their reports on the deal. Parliament can resolve against ratification of a treaty under the scrutiny processes set out under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Any legislative changes required to give effect to the free trade agreement will need to be scrutinised and passed by Parliament in the usual way before ratification of the agreement can take place.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department plans to take to monitor the potential effect of the UK's proposed free trade deal with Australia on the farming industry (a) before and (b) after negotiations on such a trade deal have been agreed.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department’s economic analysis, published on 17 June 2020, seeks to identify the long-term scale of the additional benefit to the UK from having a deal with Australia. This included an assessment of the impact on the agriculture industry.
Following the conclusion of negotiations, the Government will update this analysis and publish a full impact assessment prior to ratification of the agreement.
HM Government has been clear that any deal with Australia must work for UK consumers, producers, and companies, and will not undercut UK farmers or compromise our high standards. HM Government will also stand firm in our negotiations to ensure any future trade deal supports the livelihoods of farmers and the interests of consumers across the UK.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will bring forward her legislative proposals for a Trade and Agriculture Commission.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Trade and Agriculture Commission is an advisory board. As such, no legislation is required.