Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministerial Statement

Free Trade Agreements: Parliamentary Scrutiny

03 November 2022 · 6 other contributors

Opened by Angus MacNeil SNP Na h-Eileanan an Iar

Business & Trade

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Angus MacNeil raised concerns about free trade agreements: parliamentary scrutiny in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • Angus MacNeil, Chair of the International Trade Committee, opened a statement on parliamentary scrutiny of free trade agreements.
  • He highlighted insufficient engagement with Parliament as a recurring theme in the scrutiny of FTAs.
  • The Minister called for longer-term consultative reviews to improve future scrutiny processes.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Government Statement

Angus MacNeil

Angus MacNeil, Chair of the International Trade Committee, opened a statement on parliamentary scrutiny of free trade agreements (FTAs). He highlighted the completion of FTAs with Australia and New Zealand and noted recurring themes in their scrutiny, such as insufficient engagement with Parliament. The Minister expressed dissatisfaction with current processes and called for longer-term consultative reviews to improve future scrutiny. He emphasised the need for clearer timelines between key stages and criticised the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG) as inadequate. MacNeil also stressed the importance of a single document outlining trade strategy, transparency regarding non-trade-focused aspects in FTAs, and ensuring Members understand FTA impacts thoroughly. The New Zealand FTA, worth about one 250th of Brexit's economic damage, was mentioned as an example needing better scrutiny.

Other contributors (6)
  • Greg Hands Con Hammersmith

    Question

    The Minister congratulated the Committee Chair on his report and acknowledged calls for more scrutiny. He noted that CRaG is not the sole extent of scrutiny processes and highlighted the ongoing Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill as an example providing ample time for scrutiny. The Shadow Minister asked about other available scrutiny opportunities, reflecting a need to understand broader mechanisms beyond CRaG.

    Minister reply

    Angus MacNeil thanked Greg Hands for his remarks but emphasised that by the time of legislative changes in CRaG, it is too late due to partisanship and one-sidedness. He suggested moving consideration away from such partisan environments to achieve better scrutiny.

  • Ruth Cadbury Lab Brentford and Isleworth

    Question

    The MP thanked the Chair for his report on a lack of coherent UK trade strategy. She criticised previous Trade Ministers for their public arguments and one former Secretary of State's preoccupation with social media.

    Minister reply

    Angus MacNeil agreed with Ruth Cadbury, highlighting that there is a universal call from all sides of politics for a clear UK trade strategy.

  • Martin Vickers Con Brigg and Immingham

    Question

    Vickers endorsed the Chair's report but disagreed on Brexit-related criticisms. He suggested resetting relations between the Committee and the Government to facilitate more free trade deals.

    Minister reply

    MacNeil acknowledged the opportunity for a reset, emphasising that while a majority of the committee wants to see trade deals, they also want to scrutinise their terms carefully.

  • John Spellar

    Question

    Spellar expressed concern over previous Trade Ministers' conduct and relations with the House. He criticised the Committee's lack of focus on the benefits of trade for humankind and questioned who we should be making agreements with if not the EU.

    Minister reply

    MacNeil thanked Spellar and highlighted that trade terms vary without deals, often involving bureaucracy instead of tariffs. He also pointed to resource issues affecting the committee's ability to perform its duties.

  • Patrick Grady

    Question

    Grady raised concerns about insufficient scrutiny of trade deals by MPs and questioned if this is another aspect of Brexit undermining parliamentary sovereignty.

    Minister reply

    MacNeil agreed that empowering the House on trade deals should be welcomed. He criticised revolving door positions among Ministers and the emphasis on signing papers rather than negotiating beneficial agreements.

Shadow Comment

Greg Hands

Greg Hands congratulated Angus MacNeil on his report and acknowledged the calls for more scrutiny. He noted that CRaG is not the sole extent of scrutiny processes and highlighted the ongoing Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill as an example providing ample time for scrutiny. The Shadow Minister asked about other available scrutiny opportunities, reflecting a need to understand broader mechanisms beyond CRaG.

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