Progress with trade negotiations

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 30 Nov 2021 Closed: 27 May 2022 Parliament page
Trade is vital to the UK economy. In 2019, the UK exported goods and services worth £689 billion and UK imports were worth £717 billion. Following EU exit, the Government is taking forward the UK’s independent international trade policy and is aiming for 80% of UK trade to be covered … Read more
8 Recommendations
21 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
1 Letter
1 Event
Activity timeline 5 events
27 May
2022
Report published
18 Mar
2022
Report published
22 Feb
2022
Correspondence
19 Jan
2022
Oral evidence
19 Jan
2022
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
19 Jan 2022
View on parliament.uk
Progress with trade negotiations
Amanda Brooks · Department for International Trade Beatrice Kilroy-Nolan · Cabinet Office Crawford Falconer · Department for International Trade James Bowler CB · HM Treasury Katrina Williams · The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with trade negotiations HC 993 18 Mar 2022 29 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
29 results
2 Recommendation Rejected
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department has not set out how it will measure the benefits and outcomes of...
The Department has not set out how it will measure the benefits and outcomes of its programme of trade negotiations. The Department has published impact assessments, including projected economic benefits for each of the new FTAs it is pursuing, and … Read more
Government Response
The government disagrees, but states it will publish detailed impact assessments and monitoring reports, and that the Outcome Delivery Plan includes metrics for trade negotiations.
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3 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department is not doing enough to help businesses, particularly SMEs, to take advantage of...
The Department is not doing enough to help businesses, particularly SMEs, to take advantage of opportunities offered by new trade agreements. Businesses need to understand and take advantage of the opportunities arising from trade agreements if agreements are to deliver … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees to write to the Committee within 12 months to set out how it has supported businesses, particularly SMEs, to take full advantage of existing and newly negotiated trade agreements, including measuring preference utilisation rates, reducing burdens for SMEs, and detailing progress on its export strategy; target implementation date: April 2023.
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4 Recommendation Not Addressed
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The farming industry has concerns about the effect of significant competition from imported Australian meat,...
The farming industry has concerns about the effect of significant competition from imported Australian meat, and there is a lack of clarity on the potential environmental impacts from increased trade with Australia. The FTA with Australia signed in December 2021 … Read more
Government Response
Response refers to elective and cancer treatment waiting times, which is unrelated to the recommendation regarding monitoring the impact of free trade agreements.
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5 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
Parliament and the public are not being provided with clear and transparent information to understand...
Parliament and the public are not being provided with clear and transparent information to understand the impact of trade agreements. Business associations and consumer groups are concerned that it is unclear how trade policy aligns with other policy objectives, and … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and says it publishes materials before negotiations, after they conclude, and is highly consultative, publishing explanatory information on the impact of agreements. It constantly reviews its economic analysis methodologies and seeks views of the public through tools including the Public Attitudes to Trade Tracker.
HM Treasury
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6 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department has not done enough to support effective Parliamentary scrutiny of trade agreements.
The Department has not done enough to support effective Parliamentary scrutiny of trade agreements. Despite the Department making additional commitments beyond the statutory framework, the International Trade Committee has not been provided with information from the Department in sufficient time … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and states that it publishes and provides its strategic approach to each new FTA at the outset of negotiations to relevant select committees, including negotiation objectives, and offers oral updates to the relevant select committees.
HM Treasury
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1 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for International Trade (the Department), the Cabinet Office and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra).2 We were also joined … Read more
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7 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
In addition to the programme of negotiations, the Department also needs to implement and review...
In addition to the programme of negotiations, the Department also needs to implement and review existing agreements.14 The Department told us that it has set up governance committees to provide an overview of how FTAs are being implemented in practice … Read more
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8 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department aims to secure agreements with countries representing 80% of total UK trade by...
The Department aims to secure agreements with countries representing 80% of total UK trade by the end of 2022. This aim is stated in the Department’s 2020–21 annual report and accounts and is a government manifesto commitment. The National Audit … Read more
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9 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We noted that the Department is quite a long way from reaching the 80% target...
We noted that the Department is quite a long way from reaching the 80% target and asked the Department when it expects to meet it. The Department told us that it thinks it will reach the 80% target but that … Read more
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10 Conclusion Accepted
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
A deal with the US would contribute 16.8% towards achieving the 80% target as the...
A deal with the US would contribute 16.8% towards achieving the 80% target as the US is the UK’s largest trading partner.21 However, negotiations with the US are not currently progressing. The Department told us that in the meantime it … Read more
Government Response
The UK is ready to progress with a UK-US FTA when the US is ready and continues to work with the US on state level MOUs, securing the removal of Section 232 tariffs.
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11 Conclusion Acknowledged
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We asked the Department about the value of state-to-UK bilateral agreements, in terms of contributing...
We asked the Department about the value of state-to-UK bilateral agreements, in terms of contributing to the 80% target. The Department could not tell us and thought this would be hard to calculate. The Department said that it had not … Read more
Government Response
The department states that the ending of bans on UK beef and lamb exports to the US are estimated to be worth £66 million and £37 million of export opportunities respectively and will use trade data to understand export trends over time.
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12 Conclusion Acknowledged
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department set out four measures in its Outcome Delivery Plan (ODP) for 2021–22 to...
The Department set out four measures in its Outcome Delivery Plan (ODP) for 2021–22 to measure its progress on its programme of trade negotiations. One of these measures, described in the previous section, is the percentage of UK trade with … Read more
Government Response
DIT’s Outcome Delivery Plan (ODP) includes metrics for trade negotiations, and DIT will report on progress against each of the ODPs and continue to keep its ODP metrics under review.
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13 Conclusion Acknowledged
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department has published an impact or scoping assessment for each new FTA it is...
The Department has published an impact or scoping assessment for each new FTA it is pursuing to help businesses and the public understand the potential economic benefits of the agreement and to support Parliamentary scrutiny.29 For example, the impact assessment … Read more
Government Response
The department publishes detailed impact assessments and will publish monitoring reports which will provide DIT’s analytical evidence base to inform Parliament, the public and other interested stakeholders on progress and actual benefits.
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14 Conclusion Accepted
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We asked what the Department was doing to measure the actual benefits of trade agreements.
We asked what the Department was doing to measure the actual benefits of trade agreements. The Department told us that it is committed to monitoring and evaluating the impacts of agreements.33 For example, it has committed to publishing monitoring reports … Read more
Government Response
The department publishes detailed impact assessments and will publish monitoring reports to inform on progress and actual benefits of FTAs.
HM Treasury
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15 Conclusion Acknowledged
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We asked the Department how it planned to support businesses, particularly small and medium-sized businesses...
We asked the Department how it planned to support businesses, particularly small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), to take advantage of the opportunities in trade agreements.36 The Department’s 2020 survey of UK registered businesses found that just 28% of surveyed businesses … Read more
Government Response
The department will write within 12 months on this recommendation, setting out how it is helping businesses take advantage of trade agreements and market openings, and mentioning the Export Support Service and other initiatives.
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16 Conclusion Deferred
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department acknowledged that “agreements are only as good as the businesses that utilise them”.39...
The Department acknowledged that “agreements are only as good as the businesses that utilise them”.39 It told us that its new export strategy, published in November 2021, had been informed by our previous report on support for exporters, and that … Read more
Government Response
The department will write within 12 months on this recommendation and will set out how it is helping businesses take advantage of trade agreements and market openings.
HM Treasury
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17 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We asked the Department how it would benchmark its trade promotion activities against those of...
We asked the Department how it would benchmark its trade promotion activities against those of countries such as Singapore and Hong Kong. The Department said that it 34 Q 30; C&AG’s report, para 4.19; Department for International Trade, Impact assessment … Read more
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18 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We received written evidence from Logistics UK, asking for specific provisions to be included in...
We received written evidence from Logistics UK, asking for specific provisions to be included in future FTAs to make it easier for UK businesses to trade with the rest of the world. These include, for example, commitments to clear goods … Read more
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19 Conclusion Not Addressed
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The FTA with Australia signed on 17 December 2021 removed almost all tariffs and quotas...
The FTA with Australia signed on 17 December 2021 removed almost all tariffs and quotas on agricultural products from Australia over 15 years. Tariff-free beef quotas, for example, would increase from a current 4,669 tonnes to 35,000 tonnes immediately after … Read more
Government Response
Response discusses DIT's commitment to monitoring and evaluation findings, publishing a biennial FTA monitoring report, and working with DEFRA to support agricultural exports. It does not address the specific concerns raised in the conclusion.
HM Treasury
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20 Conclusion Acknowledged
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We asked Defra for its assessment of the effect of the Australian FTA on British...
We asked Defra for its assessment of the effect of the Australian FTA on British agriculture. Defra said that it was confident that the phasing in of the liberalisation and the safeguards provide a period of adjustment for the UK … Read more
Government Response
DIT is committed to using monitoring and evaluation (M&E) findings to ensure benefits are maximised, publishing a biennial FTA monitoring report, and working with DEFRA to support agricultural, and food and drink exports.
HM Treasury
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21 Conclusion Acknowledged
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We asked why the National Farmers Union is so pessimistic about the trade agreement.
We asked why the National Farmers Union is so pessimistic about the trade agreement. The Department admitted that there were risks and downsides to the deal and that a body which represents the interests of farmers would be concerned about … Read more
Government Response
DIT is committed to using monitoring and evaluation (M&E) findings to ensure that the benefits for businesses, workers and consumers are maximised and will publish a biennial FTA monitoring report. DIT will also work with DEFRA to support agricultural, and food and drink exports.
HM Treasury
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22 Conclusion Acknowledged
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
Defra told us that it has looked very carefully into the question of carbon emissions.57...
Defra told us that it has looked very carefully into the question of carbon emissions.57 Its analysis so far suggests that carbon emissions resulting from shipping goods from Australia to the UK are not the most significant factor when looking … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and will continue to ensure a high level of environmental protection in new trade agreements, working with DEFRA to monitor free trade agreements and publishing a comprehensive ex-post evaluation of the UK-Australia agreement within 5 years.
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23 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
When we asked the Department about its overarching trade strategy it told us that it...
When we asked the Department about its overarching trade strategy it told us that it aims to have “an open trade environment that promotes jobs and wages and reduces poverty”. The Department plans to achieve this through trade negotiations and … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and says it is committed to a high level of transparency, publishing materials before and after negotiations, consulting prior to and during, publishing explanatory information, reviewing economic analysis methodologies, and seeking public views through tools like the Public Attitudes to Trade Tracker.
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24 Conclusion Acknowledged
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We asked the Department whether it thought that the general public knew about trade.
We asked the Department whether it thought that the general public knew about trade. The Department told us that based on its survey, the public was “highly supportive of the trade agenda”.65 However, the NAO noted that the Department has … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and says it publishes materials before negotiations, after they conclude, and is highly consultative, publishing explanatory information on the impact of agreements. It constantly reviews its economic analysis methodologies and seeks views of the public through tools including the Public Attitudes to Trade Tracker.
HM Treasury
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25 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
Which?
Which? also highlighted the importance of reflecting consumer interests more generally and suggested that a consumer chapter should be included in each trade agreement.69 The Department confirmed that the UK-New Zealand trade agreement will include a “first ever” chapter on … Read more
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26 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department said that it is its job to explain, engage and communicate and that...
The Department said that it is its job to explain, engage and communicate and that when communicating information about trade agreements, it tries to set out what this might mean for consumers.72 We asked the Department why its forecast of … Read more
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27 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The Department has made additional commitments beyond the statutory framework under the Constitutional Reform and...
The Department has made additional commitments beyond the statutory framework under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRAG) for Parliamentary scrutiny of trade agreements, but the Parliamentary committees responsible for trade agreements scrutiny have called for Parliament to have … Read more
Government Response
The government publishes its strategic approach to each new FTA at the outset of negotiations, provides oral updates to the relevant select committees and will continue to review arrangements.
HM Treasury
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28 Recommendation Accepted
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
The opportunity for Parliament to view negotiating objectives at the outset would aid its scrutiny...
The opportunity for Parliament to view negotiating objectives at the outset would aid its scrutiny of trade agreements.78 There is a precedent in Parliament to share privileged information between government and select committees. For example, this Committee routinely sees privileged … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and states that it publishes and provides its strategic approach to each new FTA at the outset of negotiations to relevant select committees, including negotiation objectives, and offers oral updates to the relevant select committees.
HM Treasury
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29 Conclusion
Forty-Fifth Report - Progress with…
We also note that the House of Lords International Agreement Committee reported that the statutory...
We also note that the House of Lords International Agreement Committee reported that the statutory framework under CRAG is insufficient to facilitate robust and effective scrutiny of international agreements. As stated in the NAO report, the International Agreement Committee has … Read more
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Government Response AI assessment · 20 of 8 classified
Accepted 8
Acknowledged 8
Deferred 1
Not Addressed 2
Rejected 1
Total 8 recs + 21 conclusions
Correspondence 1 letter
22 Feb 2022 Correspondence from James Bowler, Permanent Secretary, Department for International Trade, re Public Accounts Committee: Progress of Trade Negotiations, dated 4 February 2022
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