Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Accepted
Address remaining issues undermining trade agreement benefits and regularly report business utilisation to Parliament.
Recommendation
The Government must ensure that the remaining issues which risk undermining the Agreement’s benefits for key sectors are addressed. Ratification should not be treated as the conclusion of the process. Ministers must be held accountable for ensuring that businesses are able to use the Agreement effectively to drive growth and contribute to the Government’s wider growth mission. The Government should keep the details of the terms under review to make the most of opportunities of mutual benefit. The Government must regularly report to Parliament on rates of business 75 utilisation of the Agreement, particularly in priority sectors, including providing evidence of increased exports and progress in resolving key barriers. (Recommendation, Paragraph 52) Constraints on services access
Government Response Summary
The government states that the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) already oversees the utilisation and implementation of the Agreement through a coordinated, cross-departmental programme, and will update Parliament regularly on preparation, utilisation, and tariff preference uptake, and publish provisional data on utilisation rates within the first year.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) oversees the utilisation and implementation of the Agreement. DBT’s dedicated Free Trade Agreement Utilisation team is leading a coordinated, cross-departmental programme to ensure UK businesses are fully equipped to take advantage of the UK–India FTA the moment it enters into force. This capability exercise is delivered by raising awareness of the deal, producing sector specific and thematic guides, and supporting firms to understand how to leverage new market access opportunities, tariff reductions, and simplified customs processes. DBT’s outreach activity has already engaged over 7,000 organizations on CETA right across the UK and in market. Through ongoing business engagement, regional events, partnerships with sector bodies, and close collaboration with policy teams, DBT is ensuring that companies not only understand the deal but can convert its provisions into real commercial wins. HM Government will continue to update Parliament regularly - through written statements, committees, and scrutiny processes - on preparation, utilisation, and tariff preference uptake. As with previous UK FTAs, we will also endeavour to publish provisional data on utilisation rates within the first year after entry into force - subject to information provision from Indian customs.