Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to support small and medium-sized businesses to trade with other Commonwealth countries after the UK leaves the EU.

It is important that we continue to look at reducing trade barriers bilaterally which will benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We are doing this through our current Working Groups with countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and India. Intra Commonwealth trade in goods and services is estimated to be $560bn and projected to reach $700bn by 2020.

In addition, the Department participated actively throughout the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London where my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade announced policies to help boost intra-Commonwealth trade. This included the launch of the Commonwealth Standards Network to increase the use of international standards across the Commonwealth, which will support private and public-sector users of standards, including SMEs. A trade facilitation programme was also announced which provides technical assistance to selected countries in implementing the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement.