The UKTPO analysis cited by the committee found that “there is almost no difference and the impact will be negligible compared to CETA.” However, the UKTPO said the services chapters of the agreement provide for “relatively modest liberalisation” and that “financial and transport services remain relatively closed”. Following previous commitments, DIT ministers and officials also inform these committees confidentially, upon request, of the conclusion of trade cycles on proposed agreements and have agreed to give committees time to prepare detailed reports on agreements prior to ratification. There are still outstanding questions about the consideration of memoranda of understanding (political agreements that are not binding under international law, but can sometimes be used in place of treaties). It is also important to link the work of the IAC to the monitoring of legislative implementation agreements so that parliamentarians have a complete picture. The ACI now has considerable expertise and I would advise departments in the House of Commons departments to integrate and use its reports to ensure that contract review is conducted in a complementary manner between the two Houses. Remarkably, politically important declarations of intent are not systematically submitted to parliament, although as early as 1924 the government promised to alert parliament to such agreements “which may entail serious international obligations under the `Ponsonby Rule`. This is the subject of ongoing discussions. This inquiry is the first in the House of Commons to focus on the review of treaties (including non-trade agreements) in many years. However, between 2019 and 2020, the House of Lords conducted three inquiries into this issue. The report deals with three international agreements submitted to the British Parliament – the Free Trade Agreement with Singapore, the Agreement on The Continuity of Trade with Canada and the Association Agreement with the Arab Republic of Egypt. The IAC has published 16 reports that take into account 34 treaties, including free trade agreements (FTAs) with Japan, Singapore, Canada and Turkey; Agreements on space launches, police cooperation and air transport services. It also investigated that the UK has still not ratified the Istanbul Convention, which aims to prevent violence against women and girls, despite its signature in 2012.

In July 2020, the IAC published a report on the audit and its operation. He expressed reservations about the CRAG procedure (in particular the time available for examination and the fact that the information was transmitted only after the signing of the agreements) and proposed pragmatic procedural reforms. Following the concerns expressed by the Lords` committees, the Government agreed to provide more detailed information, including on the consultations that have taken place (in particular with devolved administrations), on how new treaties interact with related agreements and on whether a treaty has a significant impact on human rights, which should be brought to the attention of the Joint Human Rights Committee. Perhaps the biggest challenge for the new PACAC inquiry will be how the House of Commons could build on the work of the Lords rather than duplicate it. This is reflected in the committee`s recommendations to the government: the committee asked the UKTPO to provide evidence of the trade continuity agreement with Canada in particular. Emerging economies provide the context and explain what the new treaty aims to achieve, what legislation (if any) is needed to implement it, when it will enter into force, what financial implications and what territorial application the agreement will have. Otherwise, there remains a risk that the House of Commons will regularly review only free trade agreements and that other important treaty reviews will be conducted in uncoordinated silos between the two Houses. After a successful start as a subcommittee, the International Agreements Committee (IAC) was confirmed as a full-fledged special committee of the House of Lords in January.

The Government has also accepted the importance of a complete and up-to-date record of treaties to which the United Kingdom is a party and has agreed to work with departments to ensure that any treaty changes are published in the United Kingdom`s treaty series. .

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