Contributions
602 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsNoble Lords may not wish for this, but I do. We will be able to have trade agreements with India, the GCC, the CPTPP, Switzerland, Greenland, Mexico and Canada, and ultimately,…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI thank the noble Baroness. I should point out that it is our leaving the European Union that now allows us to create trade deals. Without that measure, we would not be in a…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI thank the noble Lord for that question. Clearly, it is not designed to put me on the spot to reel off a list of measures from the top of my head. It would be much more useful…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI greatly thank the noble Lord for that point. We are all aware of the importance of resilience in our supply chains, particularly when it comes to nations around the world that…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI thank the noble Lord very much, and I hope he did not think I was being facetious. The importance of trade with Europe is paramount in the mind of the Department for…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsEvery country has its advantages, as the noble Lord will know if he has read his Ricardo. Greenland is actually one of the greatest exporters in the world of fresh-water prawns,…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI greatly appreciate my noble friend raising that question—and her debate last night—and encouraging attention on central America. I thank her for the work she does as our trade…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI thank the noble Baroness for that point, which was well raised. That is exactly what our negotiating teams are doing. This deal with India will be significant for us. That…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI thank the noble Lord for that very important point. The Department for International Trade has worked extremely hard to make sure that we have a global trade web of deals and…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI refer noble Lords to my interests in the register. Our free trade agreement programme is being delivered at a pace unprecedented in global history. We are continuing…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI take that question with great sensitivity. It is very important to separate the two concepts. In these FTAs, we have a great focus on labour rights, which are more relevant to…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBilateral Free Trade AgreementsI greatly thank my noble friend for his comment. At no point have the Government not taken human rights very seriously, but we see trade deals as specifically focused on trade.…20 Dec 2022HANSARDCentral America: Trade and InvestmentThe trade commissioners contribute to the statistics that we provide as a department. If he has time, I would be perfectly happy to sit down with the noble Viscount and go through…19 Dec 2022HANSARDCentral America: Trade and InvestmentI thank the noble Viscount for that request. The Department for International Trade produces a plethora of reports—19 Dec 2022HANSARDCentral America: Trade and InvestmentMy Lords, I am extremely pleased to conclude this short debate highlighting the Government’s work to improve trade and investment relations with central American countries. I am…19 Dec 2022HANSARDIran: DemonstrationsMy Lords, before I begin, to follow on from yesterday’s declaration of interests, I have interests in financial services groups that have investments in the region, although I do…27 Oct 2022HANSARDUK-India Free Trade DealI thank the noble Lord, Lord McNicol, for that follow-up question, and thank him very much for his kindness earlier, as well. He promised to be as kind as possible during this…26 Oct 2022HANSARDUK-India Free Trade DealI thank the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, for that range of questions, which I am sure we will have an opportunity to discuss at great length personally. I would like to reassure noble…26 Oct 2022HANSARDUK-India Free Trade DealI am very grateful to my noble friend for highlighting our childhood friendship and exposing me as a Europhile—I am not sure if that was quite so necessary in my opening gambit.…26 Oct 2022HANSARDUK-India Free Trade DealI thank the noble Viscount, Lord Waverley, for his point and I completely agree: the opportunities we see there are phenomenal. If we can find a powerful way to access this…26 Oct 2022