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.

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.