The International Trade Committee today publishes the Government’s
response to its report on the Parliamentary scrutiny
of trade deals.
In the report, the cross-party Committee demonstrated that the
current mechanisms for scrutiny are not fit for purpose, and
called on the Government to conduct a full review of how it
engages with Parliament and Select Committees before, during and
after trade negotiations.
The MPs also urged the Government to ensure that the Committee
can always publish its own verdict on trade deals before any
Parliamentary debate is scheduled, in order to inform MPs’
decision-making.
In response, the Government moves in the Committee’s direction,
suggesting it would look to extend the statutory 21 day scrutiny
period if a Parliamentary debate cannot take place in the
existing timeframe. However, it does not commit to such a debate
being on a substantive motion, which would enable MPs to vote
against a trade deal if they felt it was not up to scratch.
The Government also continues to swerve the Committee’s demand
for a single trade strategy, setting out what the UK wants to
achieve from its negotiations, and how new deals would support
broader Government policies.
Commenting on the response, , Chair of the
International Trade Committee, said:
“It’s clear that the existing mechanisms for Parliament to
scrutinise trade deals are not fit for the twenty first century.
As a Committee, we will continue to review alternatives to the
current scrutiny framework and bang the drum for more effective
oversight of trade agreements.
“It’s also disappointing to hear the Government has no intention
of publishing a unified trade strategy. Without this, it’s
difficult to conclude anything other than that the UK is
negotiating piecemeal trade deals with no overarching vision or
goal.”
The report included the following conclusions and
recommendations:
Select Committees
- The Government should undertake a full review of how it
informs and engages with others before, during and after trade
negotiations. We specifically ask the Government to consider how
it involves Parliament and its committees. (Paragraph 8)
Trade strategy
- We reiterate our call for the Government to produce a single
strategy document that sets out what it wants to achieve with its
negotiations and how the agreements it is negotiating will
collectively support this. (Paragraph 15)
Parliamentary arrangements
- The provisions for parliamentary scrutiny of treaties set out
in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 (CRaG) are
not fit to scrutinise future trade agreements. (Paragraph 32)
- The Government must continue to work with us to coordinate
when it triggers CRaG for future trade deals, to ensure the House
of Commons can consider our report before it debates the
agreement within the CRaG period. (Paragraph 67)
- The Government must strengthen its commitment to granting a
post-negotiation parliamentary debate, ensuring that one is
granted if requested in a timely manner. (Paragraph 72)
- The House of Commons must have the opportunity to not only
debate a trade deal, but also to vote on a substantive motion
during the period in which it retains its power to delay
ratification, if it considers this appropriate. (Paragraph 78)
Further information:
- The Committee’s report, ‘UK trade negotiations: Parliamentary
scrutiny of free trade agreements’, was published in October
2022. The report can be accessed here.
- The Committee launched its inquiry into UK trade negotiations
in April 2020. Oral evidence session transcripts and replays,
written evidence submissions and correspondence relating to the
inquiry can be found here.
- The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs
Committee is conducting an inquiry into ‘The Scrutiny of
International Treaties and other international agreements in the
21st century’. The Chair of the International Trade
Committee gave evidence to the
inquiry on 10 January 2023. Further information can be
found here.
