The International Trade Committee today publishes the Government
Response to its report on The COVID-19 pandemic and
international trade.
The wide-ranging report, published in July, examined the impacts
of COVID-19 on international trade, the effectiveness of the UK
and international response, and options for ensuring future
supply-chain resilience.
The report called on the Government to:
- work with the pharmaceutical industry to ensure the
replenishment of buffer stock of medicines;
- consider the case for adjusting intellectual property
provisions to allow for compulsory licensing of therapeutic drugs
or vaccines against COVID-19;
- improve communication about support for exporters to recover
from the pandemic;
- act to ensure that temporary disruptions do not become
permanent barriers to trade;
- seek international support for an international agreement on
trade in medical goods;
- investigate ‘parallel supply chains' for medicines and other
essential goods – to build ‘surge capacity' into UK-based
production;
- be as open as possible about measures being considered to
address supply chain vulnerabilities through ‘Project Defend’;
- set out its approach to international investment agreements
in the context of issues raised by the pandemic; and
- outline how it will strike a balance between screening
investment for security concerns and promoting inward investment.
The Government Response sets out the Government’s view on each of
the Committee’s recommendations.
