Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Free Trade Agreement: India

Thursday 21 October 2021 · 5 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister of State met with Indian counterpart to discuss final preparations for launching negotiations on a free trade agreement.
  • Officials have completed bilateral working groups with Indian colleagues and will publish negotiating aims.
  • Minister expressed readiness to work with businesses and constituencies with existing connections to India to leverage these for the trade deal.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Shaun Bailey
Business & Trade
Context

The question arises from the Department's efforts towards securing a free trade agreement with India.

Question

What recent progress her Department has made on securing a free trade agreement with India?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

I met my Indian counterpart, Minister Goyal, at the G20 in Italy last week to discuss final preparations for the launch of negotiations before the end of this year. My officials have concluded a series of bilateral working groups with Indian colleagues, and we will publish our negotiating aims, the response to the public consultation and an economic assessment of the FTA in the coming weeks.

Answered
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Q2 Bob Blackman Con Harrow East
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The context is the ongoing negotiations between the UK and India for a free trade agreement, highlighting the importance of leveraging existing business connections.

Question

I congratulate my right hon. Friend on her new job. The EU has been trying, unsuccessfully, to do a trade deal with India for 24 years, but we have an advantage. India is the third biggest investor in the UK, and we used to be the third biggest investor in India, but we have slipped down the league table. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me that, now that we are free from the shackles of Brussels, we have the ideal opportunity to negotiate a free trade deal, which would be good for our two great countries?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

I thank my hon. Friend for his passionate presentation. I know about his relationship with India, and I hope very much that we will be able to harness all his knowledge and passion as we pull this together. We are in the final phase of preparations for the launch of negotiations very shortly, and I look forward to updating the House on our negotiating aims very soon.

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Q3 Shaun Bailey
Business & Trade
Context

The question relates to leveraging the connections of UK businesses that already have ties to India to maximise potential economic gains from a proposed free trade agreement.

Question

Businesses in Wednesbury, Oldbury and Tipton are excited about the prospect of a trade deal with India. Can I ask my right hon. Friend what work she is doing with businesses with existing links to India to ensure that we can really leverage those connections and make sure that areas such as the Black Country—which I know my right hon. Friend is going to visit very soon to see some of those businesses—make the most out of a trade deal with India?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

I thank my hon. Friend, and I am always happy to stop in and meet some of the amazing businesses in his constituency, for which he is such a great champion. All UK sectors and regions stand to benefit from a trade deal with India, improving access to one of the fastest growing and most dynamic markets in the world. Its GDP is predicted to grow by 8.5% next year and imports into the UK by 8.2%. I want to make sure that, as the trade deal comes together, we are providing both the tools and the liberalising opportunities for all our great businesses.

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Q4 Nick Smith Lab Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
NHS Foreign Affairs
Context

The query pertains to the Secretary of State's support regarding a patent waiver on COVID-19 vaccines, considering India's current vaccination rate.

Question

India, like many other countries, is lagging on vaccination—fewer than half there have had their first jab—so does the Secretary of State support her US counterpart's call for a temporary waiver of the patents on covid vaccines?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

The hon. Member's question is timely. The G7 trade talks will be taking place tomorrow here in London, and that question and many of the issues—we will be discussing those questions at the WTO in December—will be raised. I am sure he will be pleased to see the communiqué outcomes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Support for patent waiver on covid vaccines

How: Discussing Issues At G7 And Wto Talks

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Q5 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Foreign Affairs Religion & Faith
Context

The question addresses the Secretary of State's commitment to religious freedoms for minorities within a proposed free trade agreement.

Question

May I welcome the Secretary of State to her place and wish her well? I endorse the need for a trade agreement with India, but, as the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Cat Smith) said earlier, I caution, in relation to any trade agreement, about the rights of those of a different religious persuasion, including those of a Christian persuasion. I met the high commissioner for India in Northern Ireland some four weeks ago, and pushed the point with her about how important it is, within a trade agreement, to have freedom of religious belief for all. Unfortunately, that does not happen in India. When the Secretary of State has talks with the Indian Government about a trade agreement will she ensure that it benefits those with different religious beliefs and other persecuted minorities?

Answer from Anne-Marie Trevelyan

As I said to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Cat Smith), I am happy to discuss that area. As colleagues will be aware, the FCDO is always at the forefront of such discussions, ensuring that where we have lines of communication we are robust and firm friends on issues that we consider to be values, and that we continue to trade with others and have good relationships. We will continue to work in that area.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to addressing religious freedoms within a trade agreement

How: Robust Discussions On Values

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