Extract from
International Trade Questions: Scotch Whisky: US Tariff
(Argyll and
Bute) (SNP): What discussions she has had with her US counterpart
on that country’s imposition of a 25% tariff on single malt
Scotch whisky. [907221]
The Minister for Trade Policy (): The
Government take very seriously the punitive US tariffs on UK
goods, including on single malt Scotch whisky.
We are fighting for the removal of all such tariffs and are
pushing for a negotiated settlement to the underlying World Trade
Organisation civil aviation cases. The Secretary of State raised
these issues most recently with US trade representative
Ambassador Lighthizer in September.
[V]: Exactly
a year ago, the United States imposed 25% tariffs on Scotch malt
Whisky devastating exports and threatening
thousands of Scottish jobs. Despite the Minister’s Department
making the removal of those damaging tariffs a priority, his
Government have failed to move their special friend in the White
House an inch on these issues. Could he explain exactly why the
Scotch Whisky industry, apart from being £360
million poorer, is in exactly the same place today as it was a
year ago?
: I thank
the hon. Member for that question. We oppose these tariffs
vigorously. We are stepping up talks with the US and we were
pleased that in August the US did not extend the tariffs to
blended Whisky and actually removed them from
shortbread. The irony is that the Scottish National party are
urging us to enter into direct trade talks with the US—something
that we are already doing, but something that we would not be
able to do if we followed its policy of rejoining the European
Union. I just remark on the SNP’s chutzpah in urging us to do
something to which it is fundamentally opposed: engage directly
with the United States on trade policy.
TOPICAL
QUESTIONS
(Glasgow North West) (SNP): Macallan single malt
Whisky bottled at Edrington in my constituency
is just one of many iconic Scottish products suffering under the
25% US trade tariffs. A year down the line, can the Secretary of
State explain why single malt Whisky is not at
the top of our US negotiating list? [907196]
: I am
absolutely determined to get these tariffs removed. The reality
is that the European Union, which the hon. Lady and her
colleagues want to rejoin, has failed to sort out this issue with
Airbus for 15 years. We now have an opportunity—we have an
independent tariff policy starting next year—and I am determined
to get those tariffs removed.
Extract from Committee
stage (Lords) of the Trade Bill
(Con):...The one that bucked the trend,
interestingly, was with Norway. I understand informally from the
noble Lord, Lord Purvis, that the rollover agreement has now been
signed. That is good to know. Apparently, our exports to Norway
went up incrementally in the last year, by some 45%. I would be
interested to know what caused that. The situation is that, apart
from Norway, we have suffered substantial falls in our exports. I
will not repeat at length what was discussed earlier but, because
of tariffs imposed on Scotch Whisky we have had a big hit on
sales of Scotch Whisky to the US. Therefore, I
believe there is a strong argument for post-ratification support,
as set out in Amendment 47. I would like a good reason from the
Minister as to why that should not be the case. It goes to the
heart of the case that the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, is making for
the whole group of amendments on why we need to strengthen
parliamentary approval of agreements and initial scrutiny of them
before they come into effect...
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