Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of research commissioned by the European Commission into the economic effect of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

The Government supports the Commission’s research. The UK adopted a similar approach when commissioning research for the potential impact on the UK. We also support the additional work that is underway for the Commission such as the Sustainability Impact Assessment. Whilst the trade models used by the Commission, ourselves and others have their limitations they are generally considered to be the most robust tools to examine the economic effects of trade agreements.