Service Industries: Overseas Trade

(asked on 7th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what the objectives of their trade in services strategy are, beyond those regarding exports; and how they plan for those objectives to be delivered through (1) bilateral trade negotiations, and (2) plurilateral and multilateral dialogue at international institutions.


This question was answered on 18th December 2020

As the world’s second largest exporter of services, it is in the British national interest to champion greater services liberalisation globally, now we have left the EU.

We will use our independent trade policy to tackle barriers to trade in services and ensure open, fair market access overseas for British businesses. We will negotiate best-in-class rules for all services sectors, as well as sector specific rules for key export sectors such as financial services, professional and business services, telecommunications and transport services. We aim to secure certainty and predictability for British services exporters overseas, along with transparency on services regulation internationally. We want to secure opportunities for British services suppliers and investors to operate overseas through provisions for temporary business travel and supporting the recognition of professional qualifications.

At the same time, we will make sure that decisions about how public services, including the NHS, are delivered are made by HM Government (or the devolved administrations, as appropriate). We will do this through multilateral or plurilateral engagement at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), such as the Joint Initiatives on e-commerce and domestic regulation, and by negotiating ambitious services chapters into new free trade agreements that benefit both British businesses and the British people.

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