PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
World Trade Organization (12 October 2017)

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department has carried out any contingency planning for what happens if the UK leaves the EU without having reached an agreement at the WTO over the UK’s quota schedules.

Asked by:
Pat McFadden (Labour)

The UK, as a full and founding World Trade Organization (WTO) member, already has agreed schedules of commitments for goods and services, by virtue of our membership of the European Union. We are not seeking to change the substance of those commitments although they will need updating for our independent membership, including Tariff Rate Quotas. We aim to have certified UK-only goods and services schedules of commitments by the point of EU exit. However, were it to take some time for these schedules to be certified, having uncertified schedules for a period would not hinder our ability to trade under them.

Answered by:
Greg Hands (Conservative)
20 October 2017