Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department makes of the effectiveness of impact assessments on future UK trade agreements with poorer countries on those countries.

The UK is committed to ensuring developing countries can use trade as an engine of poverty reduction, and trade agreements play an important role in this. It is a priority of the Department for International Trade to ensure that developing countries maintain their preferential access to the UK market as we leave the EU.

The Department provides impact assessments to Parliament when EU trade agreements are ratified. As outlined in the White Paper "Preparing for our future trade policy", we are committed to a transparent approach to international trade. We will ensure Parliament has an appropriate role to play in the scrutiny of new UK trade treaties.