Key Facts

• Amendment 5 requires completion of public consultations with Scottish ministers, Welsh ministers, Northern Ireland Executive representatives, and English regions before regulations are made.
• Differences between New Zealand and Australia procurement chapters could cause legal problems for businesses bidding for contracts in the UK or abroad.
• Professor Sanchez-Graells testified that UK firms could be barred from all remedies under Australian Government tender processes.
• Government procurement agreement allows access to some remedies but not a ban on compensation.
• Amendment 5 aims to enhance current government procurement setup.
• Transparency International investigated PPE contracts, identifying 73 with red flags for corruption.
• House of Commons Library data shows 202 out of the most lucrative 445 contracts in 2019 went to companies in London or south-east England.
• Professor Sanchez-Graells is a professor of economic law at the University of Bristol Law School.
• He has done extensive research on competition law and procurement.
• His concerns suggest that there are serious issues with procurement in the trade deals, risking breaches of international law.
• Amendment 5 emphasizes the importance of consultation.
• Amendment 22 aims to provide a full understanding of GPA-minus changes.
• Professor Sanchez-Graells highlighted potential risks to public procurement contracts under the GPA-minus provisions in the UK-Australia FTA.
• There are concerns about future uncertainty due to overlapping procurement chapters if the UK accedes to the CPTPP.
• The Elizabeth line project is used as an example, costing almost £19 billion and generating 14,000 jobs.
• The discussion is relevant to clause 5 of the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill.
• The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn needs rebuilding.
• Professor Sanchez-Graells's concerns about judicial review and compensation are highlighted.
• Draeger Safety UK v. the London Fire Commissioner case is mentioned as an example.
• The UK Government published all objectives prior to talks.
• Six public reports were issued during negotiations.
• There were over 12 sessions with either the International Trade Committee or the Lords International Agreements Committee.
• Nine ministerial statements and eight formal MP briefings were made.
• The International Trade Committee has not had good relations with the Government.
• There are inter-ministerial groups on trade issues attended by Ministers from the devolved Administrations.
• The forum established for considering all trade policies has met eight times since its inception in 2020.
• The Trade and Agriculture Commission focuses on agricultural standards.
• Comprehensive evaluation reports will be conducted within five years after agreements enter into force.
• There are six trade advisory groups that include various unions.
• UK sheep imports from New Zealand have fallen over the past decade.
• Increases in beef imports from Australia are expected, potentially displacing more expensive EU beef rather than domestic UK beef.
• The Minister emphasizes the importance of reducing tariffs and minimizing systems to lower costs.
• James Duddridge talks about the frequency of evaluation for trade deals, suggesting five-year evaluations.
• The Minister discusses the implementation process over time and mentions a company in Ipswich producing recyclable bottles as an example of British businesses looking to export.
• Professor Sanchez-Graells has raised substantial concerns that were accepted by the International Trade Committee and the International Agreements Committee.
• The amendments aim to require draft instruments to be laid before and approved by each House of Parliament or respective devolved assemblies.
• Amendments affect the procedures for negative resolution to affirmative resolution for certain regulations.
• There is a focus on ensuring parliamentary oversight for regulatory changes impacting food and farming standards.
• Amendments 9 to 18 seek to require the affirmative resolution procedure for every set of regulations proposed by Ministers.
• The last negative instrument successfully annulled was in 1979.
• The Trade Act 2021 enabled similar procedures for implementing UK's membership of the World Trade Organisation agreement on government procurement.
• The amendment aims to set an expiration date for the Act at the end of two years from its passage.
• If the UK becomes a full member of the CPTPP, the Act would expire on that day.
• Consumer group Which? found that 72% of people in the UK do not want food with lower standards entering through trade deals.
• The Procurement Bill aims to ensure day one compliance as well as ongoing modifications to procurement chapters.
• Future modifications may relate to machinery of government changes and updating lists, such as adding 'digital' under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
• Bilateral trade agreements like those in the Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill will coexist with agreements like CPTPP and WTO GPA after UK accession.
• Derek Twigg proposes New Clause 1 for an assessment every five years starting five years after implementation.
• New Clause 2 focuses on assessing the impact on Scottish hill farmers and crofters within six months post-regulation.
• New Clause 3 aims to assess the impact on geographical indications within two years of regulation.
• New Clause 4 proposes a first assessment within twelve months followed by three-year intervals.
• Australia exports 5,000 tonnes of beef to the UK annually but this will increase to 35,000 tonnes after the agreement.
• New Zealand’s beef exports to the UK will rise to 68,000 tonnes by year 15 of the agreement.
• The deal with New Zealand is expected to contribute a mere 0.03% to UK GDP over 15 years and Australia's deal contributes 0.08%.
• There are 144 highly hazardous pesticides authorised for use in Australia, nearly double the number in the UK.
• Australian poultry farmers use 16 times more antibiotics per animal than British poultry farmers.
• New Zealand beef farmgate prices are 25-30% lower than Scottish farmgate prices and lamb is 10% lower.
• The Scottish Crofting Federation highlighted potential unintended consequences of the trade deals.
• The food and drinks industry is twice as important to the Scottish economy compared to the UK as a whole.
• The legislation will cause a £94 million hit to UK farming, forestry and fishing per year and a £225 million hit to the semi-processed food sector per year.
• New Zealand has ratified only six of eight core International Labour Organisation conventions.
• MP Derek Twigg addresses issues related to transparency in international trade.
• The Secretary of State cancelled a meeting with the Chair of the International Trade Committee due to other commitments.
• James Duddridge commits to further probing into what information has been disclosed and considers disclosing more details about impact assessments.
• New clause 3 aims to protect geographical indicators.
• New clause 1 does not mention Scotland specifically.
• There is a call for impact assessments every six months after regulations come into force.
• The Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill is undergoing its Committee stage in Parliament.
• James Duddridge, a Conservative MP, thanks his team and offers to buy drinks in the Churchill Room for assistance during debates.
• Gareth Thomas, Labour MP, praises his staff member for support in preparing for the Committee.
• Anum Qaisar acknowledges help from Katie, Clo, and Calum on research and background work.