Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to reform and improve the World Trade Organisation.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The UK champions the rules-based multilateral system and is actively supporting efforts to reform and improve the key functions of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Department for International Trade (DIT) regularly engages with partners at the WTO and other fora, including at the G7, G20, Ottawa Group and Commonwealth. In particular, the UK’s G7 Presidency highlighted WTO reform as a priority, and the UK has co-sponsored a proposal in the General Council to enhance WTO transparency and improve compliance with notification requirements.
At the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference the UK will continue to encourage all WTO members to commit to action-oriented work to reform the WTO.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) national and (b) international potential merits of introducing a TRIPS waiver in respect of covid-19 related (i) vaccines and (ii) vaccine technology.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Whilst HM Government has not seen evidence that Intellectual Property (IP) is a barrier to the production or supply of COVID-19 goods, including vaccines, we will continue to engage constructively in debates at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Council and other international institutions to promote affordable and equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines for all.
The United Kingdom affirmed this commitment in the G7 Trade Ministers’ communique of 22nd October, which notes our determination to achieve an impactful outcome on trade and health, including how the international IP framework can best support the WTO’s pandemic response.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential harm to animal welfare as a result of the export of live animals to countries with poor animal welfare records.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government recognises the long-standing public concern with live animals being exported for slaughter and fattening, in particular, the concern that these journeys are unnecessary and that is why The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill will ban exports of livestock and equines for slaughter and fattening from, or transiting through, Great Britain to anywhere outside the British Islands.
The Government remains committed to promoting high animal welfare standards nationally and internationally. We will continue to work with the World Organisation for Animal Health to raise international standards more generally and will use our independent seat at the World Trade Organisation to advance the issue of animal welfare standards globally.
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 her Department's letter of agreement with Film London/British Film Commission of 5 October 2021, what elements of production support Film London/British Film Commission have been contracted to provide; and what indicators have been agreed to measure their performance against the contract requirements.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The British Film Commission (BFC) is the national organisation responsible for maximising and supporting inward investment screen production. The UK was among the first countries in the world to realise the growth potential of High-End TV (HETV). This contract is a continuation of a long-term agreement between the Department for International Trade (DIT) and BFC, for the BFC to promote HETV inward investment and offer production support, that has delivered a strong track record of success in attracting such productions to the UK.
As with all DIT funding agreements, there is a robust evaluation framework in place against which the BFC’s performance will be assessed.
Asked by: Theresa Villiers (Conservative - Chipping Barnet)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to use its trade policy to promote higher animal welfare standards around the world.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government is working to secure world-class free trade agreements that uphold our manifesto commitment to not compromise on the animal welfare standards for which our country is rightly renowned. To promote higher animal welfare standards, we will consider the full range of mechanisms available to us, including at international fora such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Trade Organisation.
We have secured ground-breaking provisions on animal welfare with Australia and New Zealand. This includes a standalone animal welfare chapter, a non-regression clause and a comprehensive partnership to work with Australia and New Zealand to progress animal welfare internationally.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland about illegal puppy breeding and smuggling.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government takes puppy smuggling and illegal dog breeding seriously. Now we have left the EU, we have the opportunity to manage our own pet travel and commercial importation rules. We continue to work closely with other countries and authorities, including Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in Republic of Ireland, to provide protection for those animals brought in by unscrupulous traders and to prevent the trade as much as we can.
The Government has a manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling. We are now making some significant changes to domestic law through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill which includes measures to address puppy smuggling. The Bill was introduced in Parliament on the 8 June and second reading took place on 25 October. The Bill will progress through Parliament when parliamentary time allows.
While the UK Government cannot guarantee that other countries will adopt similar welfare standards to our own, we are able to encourage others to do so through membership of international organisations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will also continue its work to raise concerns about the welfare of animals with other Governments and international authorities at every suitable opportunity.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated value per annum of New Zealand lamb that will be imported to the UK as the result of the recent trade deal.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
New Zealand is already able to export its lamb to the UK tariff free via a sizeable World Trade Organisation tariff rate quota. Usage of this quota has been declining, and in 2020 less than half of this quota was filled. It is therefore unlikely there will be an increase in lamb imports from New Zealand as a result of a new deal.
Following the conclusion of negotiations, a full impact assessment will be published prior to scrutiny by Parliament. This will present the results of economic impacts of the agreement, including on UK sectoral output.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the UK joining the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Following extensive engagement, the United Kingdom is not seeking to join the Agreement on Climate Change, Trade and Sustainability (ACCTS) negotiations. We continue to work closely with international partners, including the members of ACCTS, to advance trade and environmental matters, through multilateral and plurilateral fora such as the Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD) group at the World Trade Organisation, and through our bilateral dialogues.
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of the amended proposal by the South African and Indian Governments to the World Trade Organisation to waive certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of covid-19.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
I refer the Hon. Gentleman for Stirling to the answer given to the Hon. Gentleman for Dundee West on 19th July (UIN: 31441)
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if the Government will support the South African and Indian Governments' amended proposal to the World Trade Organisation to waive certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of covid-19.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
I refer the Hon. Gentleman for Stirling to the answer given to the Hon. Gentleman for Dundee West on 19th July (UIN: 31441)