Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice his Department has provided to the Department for International Trade on the methodology for the assessment of whether the measures in trade agreements negotiated before the requirements of section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 come into force are consistent with the maintenance of UK levels of statutory protection for (a) human, animal or plant life or health, (b) animal welfare and (c) the environment.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
In all of our trade negotiations, we will not compromise on our high animal welfare, environmental protection and food standards.
Prior to negotiations commencing, the Government will publish a scoping assessment of the broad impacts of new FTAs. Following the conclusion of all negotiations, a full impact assessment will be published prior to implementation. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will feed into this where appropriate.
This commitment is in addition to the usual parliamentary scrutiny process under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaG) which will ensure the House has sufficient time to scrutinise the detail of any deal.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
What steps she is taking to ensure parliamentary scrutiny of UK trade deals.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government applies appropriate transparency and scrutiny procedures. For new free trade agreements with the United States, Australia, New Zealand and UK’s proposed accession to CPTTP, the Government applies enhanced transparency and scrutiny arrangements. Parliament can prevent ratification of any free trade agreement through the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act procedure, and by rejecting any necessary implementing legislation.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the recommendations of the Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union's report entitled, The Shape of Future Parliamentary Scrutiny of UK-EU Relations, published on 14 January 2020, what steps his Department is taking to ensure effective future scrutiny of the UK-EU relationship.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government will be responding to the report in due course.
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement establishes a set of committees to oversee its operation.
We are committed to facilitating parliamentary scrutiny of our new relationship with the EU as we do with other international agreements.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when she plans to publish the text of the Economic Partnership Agreement secured with Cameroon on 30 December 2020, together with an accompanying explanatory memorandum and parliamentary report.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The United Kingdom and Cameroon have each agreed to temporarily give effect to the preferences under the UK-Cameroon Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) from 1 January. A time-limited bridging mechanism in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding has been applied, pending completion of domestic scrutiny processes for entry into force of the EPA.
We have published a Technical Note in Parliament, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/947282/cnc-information-note-dec2021.pdf setting out further detail and our assessment of the use of Bridging Mechanisms for implementing agreements.
Despite the exceptional circumstances which made this approach necessary to ensure continuity of trade, we will lay this agreement in Parliament under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaG) as soon as possible. The accompanying Parliamentary Report and Explanatory Memorandum will also be published when this Agreement is laid in Parliament.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when she plans to publish the Memorandum of Understanding on interim trading arrangements with Cameroon, which came into force on 1 January 2021.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The United Kingdom and Cameroon have each agreed to temporarily give effect to the preferences under the UK-Cameroon Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) from 1 January. A time-limited bridging mechanism in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding has been applied, pending completion of domestic scrutiny processes for entry into force of the EPA.
We have published a Technical Note in Parliament, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/947282/cnc-information-note-dec2021.pdf setting out further detail and our assessment of the use of Bridging Mechanisms for implementing agreements.
Despite the exceptional circumstances which made this approach necessary to ensure continuity of trade, we will lay this agreement in Parliament under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaG) as soon as possible. The accompanying Parliamentary Report and Explanatory Memorandum will also be published when this Agreement is laid in Parliament.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of influence that the UK electorate will have over new trade deals.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government will always negotiate Free Trade Agreements that best serve the interests of Britain’s businesses, consumers and communities.
As champions of the British people, Parliamentarians have a key role to play in our new independent trade policy. That is why HM Government is engaging with Parliament – and others from across the country – at all stages of our trade negotiations with Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Our approach provides for strong levels of scrutiny when compared to similar parliamentary democracies and is appropriate to our constitutional arrangements.
The Department for International Trade will continue to make sure that future Free Trade Agreements are negotiated and implemented subject to such scrutiny, whilst protecting the national interest.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the recommendations on the scrutiny of international trade negotiations in the report report of the Global Economic Governance Programme entitled UK scrutiny of international trade agreements.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Parliament will be able to conduct scrutiny at every stage of the process in a way that is appropriate and proportionate to the British constitutional context.
In the United Kingdom, the power to negotiate and enter into treaties are prerogative powers held by HM Government. That said, we have gone well beyond the statutory framework for the scrutiny of treaties set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.
Our approach strikes the right balance between allowing Parliament to scrutinise our trade policy effectively, and maintaining the ability of HM Government to negotiate with agility in the best interests of the United Kingdom. We have, of course, considered the approach of other international systems, including the United States, but comparisons must focus on countries that use the Westminster model to draw meaningful best practice that is appropriate to our constitutional arrangements.
When similar parliamentary democracies are compared to the United Kingdom, it is clear our practice is very strong and entirely appropriate to our constitutional arrangements. For example, as the report the Hon. Gentlemen refers to states, the United Kingdom is one of the few jurisdictions to publish impact assessments at the outset of negotiations.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Government’s command paper, Processes for making free trade agreements after the United Kingdom has left the European Union, CP 63, published in February 2019, whether the proposals in that paper remain Government policy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government is committed to building a transparent trade policy, which is subject to robust and appropriate parliamentary scrutiny. We have made and fulfilled commitments to transparency, including publishing objectives and economic scoping assessments for our proposed Free Trade Agreements. These commitments are already being fulfilled as per the publication of our objectives for UK-US and UK-Japan negotiations on 2 March and 13 May respectively.
We have also committed to keeping Parliament and the public informed of progress on our negotiations via regular updates and to work closely with the appropriate scrutiny Committees in both Houses. At the end of negotiations, we will lay a final impact assessment prior to ratification under the statutory framework provided for by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she will bring the Government’s negotiating objectives before Parliament in advance of future trade discussions; and whether hon Members will have a meaningful vote on the objectives for those trade discussions.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to the principle of effective parliamentary scrutiny. We have provided extensive information to Parliament on our negotiations, including publishing our objectives prior to the start of talks and holding open briefings for MPs and Peers at the launch of US and Japan talks.
We will continue to keep Parliament updated on negotiations as they progress, including close engagement with the International Trade Committee and the Lords International Agreements Committee.
This approach strikes the right balance between respecting the UK constitution, ensuring that Government can negotiate in the best interests of the UK; and ensuring that Parliament has the information it needs to effectively scrutinise our trade policy.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham, Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps she has taken to help enable parliamentary scrutiny of future free trade agreements.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Government is committed to ensuring that our trade policy is transparent and subject to appropriate scrutiny. Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise both UK-EU and UK-Rest of World negotiations. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade made a Written Ministerial Statement on 6 February, HCWS101, setting out the Government’s proposed approach to free trade agreements (FTAs) with priority partners including the USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. This set out that we will publish negotiating objectives accompanied by an initial economic assessment, as well as the Government response to the public consultation. There will be further statements made in the coming weeks, setting out our plans for FTAs with global partners.