Select committee: International Agreements Committee
Recommendation 21
6th Report - UK–India free trade agreement: Scrutiny of the Government’s Negotiating Objectives
Published 22 Jul 2022
Paragraph 67
International Agreements Committee UK-India trade negotiations All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
UK businesses make a strong case for the inclusion in FTAs of provisions which ban the localisation of data and support cross-border data flows, while consumer groups rightly seek to ensure that UK citizens’ personal data will be protected. However, provisions preventing unjustified data localisation and allowing the free flow of data in India would require changes to India’s domestic legislation, and would require a complicated and lengthy process. We call on the Government to explain how it is aiming to deliver UK business and consumer interests in this context.
From: International Agreements Committee, 6th Report - UK–India free trade agreement: Scrutiny of the Government’s Negotiating Objectives, paragraph 67, 22 July 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 18 October 2022 (deadline 18 October 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's recognition of the opportunities in a UK-India FTA, and states it "will not sign a deal unless it is in the UK's interest", while setting out its negotiating approach.
- It agrees that there are "considerable barriers" to a comprehensive FTA with India, and that provisions needing changes to domestic legislation "could create delays or blocks to a deal" for both countries.
- On the Committee's call to set out its priorities, it states that making key asks public "would compromise" negotiators' ability to strike the best deal. It says its objectives were shaped by a public call for input.
- On investor-state dispute settlement, it says ISDS "is considered where it is in the UK's national interests" and where partners and businesses agree it can play a useful role. It does not say whether the India FTA will include it.
- On mobility and the environment, it says there will be no agreement to anything that undermines UK border control, and that carbon leakage "will most effectively be tackled through an international approach". It commits to publish a full impact assessment at signature.