Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 16
16
Accepted
Publish utilisation data and regularly report on tariff preferences uptake to Parliament.
Recommendation
Concerns about remaining barriers to trade undermining UK exports to India despite the Agreement are well-founded. The Government should publish utilisation data for tariff preferences under the Agreement, consistent with its approach for other UK free trade agreements, and report regularly to Parliament on uptake. In doing so, it should explain where utilisation is lower than expected, including where this reflects the complexity or restrictiveness of rules of origin under this Agreement. (Recommendation, Paragraph 99)
Government Response Summary
The government will regularly update Parliament on FTA utilisation and tariff preference uptake, and will publish provisional data on utilisation rates within the first year, subject to information from Indian customs. They will also work with industry and the Indian government to address trade barriers, using working groups and JETCO to resolve issues, including those related to state-level barriers, standards, SPS, and technical regulations.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
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. HM Government will work with industry and the Government of India on concerns raised where they prohibit trade or undermine the FTA. This deal goes further than any India has ever signed in tackling non-tariff barriers. In addition, we now have formal working groups, implementation committees and a ministerial level JETCO to raise and resolve issues quickly. Where state level or regulatory barriers persist, we will use these structures to address them directly with India – including through sector focused subcommittees on customs, standards, SPS, and technical regulations. Entry into force is the start, not the end. The agreement must evolve, and we have a built-in review within five years, and every five years after that, or sooner if agreed. We will establish clear and continuous feedback loops with UK businesses from the point of entry into force. Through JETCO and FTA subcommittees, we will identify priority issues with business, take them up with India, and track progress systematically.