Select committee: Welsh Affairs Committee
Conclusion 7
5th Report: Brexit and trade: implications for Wales
Published 11 Dec 2020
Paragraph 41
Addressed to Wales Office
Welsh Affairs Committee Brexit and trade: implications for Wales All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The EU is the main international export market for Welsh goods and agricultural produce, with a higher proportion of goods from Wales exported to and imported from the EU compared to the rest of UK. Securing a trade deal with the EU is therefore of particular importance for the Welsh economy. A zero tariffs, zero quotas arrangement is of much greater benefit to the Welsh economy than trading on purely WTO terms. It would remove the immediate threat of damaging tariffs and could lay a strong foundation for businesses in Wales to have a close post-Brexit trade relationship with the EU. More than four years after the referendum, during which time businesses have faced considerable uncertainty and many have delayed 40 Brexit and trade: implications for Wales long term planning and investment decisions, we hope that a deal will create a stronger investment climate in Wales and unlock important, and much needed, growth decisions.
From: Welsh Affairs Committee, 5th Report: Brexit and trade: implications for Wales (HC 176), paragraph 41, 11 December 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 February 2021 (deadline 11 February 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government responds to each of the Committee's 14 recommendations in turn, mostly by describing existing action, while stating that it does not plan to publish a Wales-specific impact assessment for trade agreements.
- On cooperation with the devolved administrations, it says the Ministerial Forum for Trade "will continue to facilitate conversations" on current and future free trade agreements and other trade matters.
- On trade impact assessments, it "does not plan to publish a Wales-specific impact assessment", but says impact assessments on future new free trade agreements "will also include" potential economic impacts on UK regions and nations.
- On border readiness, it says timescales for inland facilities are "challenging" and that it is working closely with the Welsh Government. Inland sites in Birmingham and Warrington will be available for hauliers using Welsh ports "until such time as" sites in North and South West Wales are complete.
- On food standards, it states that "Our high standards of food safety will not be watered down in the pursuit of a trade deal."