Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to measure the potential effects of trade agreements that her Department has negotiated on (a) differing sectoral interests in the UK and (b) developing nations; and if she will make a statement.

HM Government is committed to an inclusive and transparent trade policy.

Scoping Assessments are published to provide a preliminary assessment in advance of negotiations. Following the conclusion of negotiations, a full Impact Assessment (IA) is published prior to implementation. These documents set out the Government’s assessment of the potential long run effects of new free trade agreements, including on sectors and developing nations.

The Government has already published Scoping Assessments for agreements with the United States, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. An IA for the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) has also been published.