division_name: Trade Bill &#8212; Disclosure of information by HMRC
motion: <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;The need for a Bill to establish a trade remedies authority, to establish our independent membership of the WTO government procurement agreement, to enable us to maintain strong trading ties with partner countries that have had historical agreements with us through the EU, and to establish the power to collect and share&#8230;information&#8212;all are uncontroversial requirements.&#8221;&#8212;[Official Report, <phrase class="date" code="2018-01-09">9 January</phrase> 2018; Vol. 634, c. 221.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;We fully recognise the need for the UK to become a party to the WTO GPA&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/10" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;The GPA requires that open, fair and transparent conditions of competition be ensured in government procurement&#8230;which cover both goods and services&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/12" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;it is essential that the UK is able to become an independent member of the GPA, allowing small businesses to have continued access to government contracts and procurement opportunities.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/15" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Almost no one who contributed to our inquiry suggested that the Government&#8217;s policy objective of seeking continuity was the wrong one.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/17" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;continuity of current EU trade agreements is vitally important to us&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/19" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;We support the Government&#8217;s overriding intention to maintain continuity by replicating existing trade as closely as possible and believe that this is the best means by which to provide certainty to business.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/26" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;It is clear that we need a TRA, and it is certainly welcome that the Bill establishes one.&#8221;&#8211;&#8211;[Official Report, Trade Public Bill Committee, <phrase class="date" code="2018-01-23">23 January</phrase> 2018; c. 64, Q123.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/28" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;recognises the need to develop a trade remedies regime and establish a new TRA which will be able to consider the need for remedies objectively, on a case by case basis&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/30" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Establishing a trade defence regime is critical to protect UK domestic industries from injury from adverse trading practices.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/32" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;we welcome the Government&#8217;s attention to this subject.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/35" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Information is very important, not least in my trade, for analysing what goes on. The case for collecting reasonable amounts of information, as long as it is cheap to do so, is very strong indeed&#8221;.&#8211;&#8211;[Official Report, Trade Bill Public Bill Committee, <phrase class="date" code="2018-01-23">23 January</phrase> 2018; c. 57, Q108.]</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="b358.2/37" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;If, in the future, there can be a more robust collection of data and stronger assessments of UK-third country trade, that would be helpful.&#8221;&#8211;&#8211;[Official Report, Trade Bill Public Bill Committee, <phrase class="date" code="2018-01-23">23 January</phrase> 2018; c. 72, Q136.]</p>
  
  <p class="italic" pid="b362.0/7" pwmotiontext="yes">The House divided:</p>
  
  <p pid="b362.0/8" pwmotiontext="yes">Ayes 317, Noes 286.</p>