Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Free Trade Agreements: Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Thursday 14 January 2021 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government have included specific SME chapters in all free trade agreements to provide SMEs with necessary information for commercial decisions.
  • The US and UK aim to reduce or eliminate tariffs, benefiting around 32,000 UK SMEs exporting to the US.
  • The Government seek to include SME chapters in future free trade agreements in the Asia-Pacific region, including deals with Australia, New Zealand, and the CPTPP.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rob Butler
Business & Trade
Context

The MP is concerned about the specific measures to support small and medium-sized enterprises in his constituency benefitting from future free trade agreements.

Question

What steps has her Department taken to help ensure that SMEs in Buckinghamshire can benefit from future free trade agreements?

Answer from Greg Hands

The Government have included, and will continue to seek to include, specific SME chapters in all our free trade agreements to ensure that SMEs are provided with the information necessary to make informed commercial decisions and seize the great new opportunities provided by these agreements.

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Q2 Paul Howell
Business & Trade
Context

The MP is concerned about the import duties affecting Kromek, a company manufacturing high-radiation detector materials, which would benefit from reduced tariffs.

Question

Can the Minister continue to support companies like Kromek in Sedgefield with a free trade agreement for the USA that removes import duties and supports high-value jobs?

Answer from Greg Hands

The US and the UK have a shared ambition to improve trade for our SME-focused economies, reducing or eliminating tariffs, including a wide-reaching SME chapter. Provisions on reimported goods will benefit around 32,000 UK SMEs already exporting to the US.

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Q3 Rob Butler
Business & Trade
Context

The MP is interested in securing opportunities for small businesses in his constituency through free trade agreements with the Asia-Pacific region.

Question

Can my right hon. Friend tell the House how he intends to go further and secure opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region, which would benefit SMEs in Aylesbury?

Answer from Greg Hands

We are seeking an SME chapter in all our future free trade agreements. In Asia-Pacific, we aim to include such chapters, as seen in our agreement with Japan, and will also consider including them in deals with Australia, New Zealand and the CPTPP.

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