Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the legal opinion by Michael Bowsher QC and Azeem Suterwalla on the potential effect of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership on the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

We have recently been provided with legal advice commissioned by Unite the Union and are considering the points raised by it.

Over several decades the UK and EU have signed numerous trade agreements. These treaties have helped both UK and EU businesses grow and create high quality jobs. They have also ensured that it remains for the UK to decide how our public services are run.

The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) will be no different. Decisions on how to deliver public services for the best outcomes for UK citizens are and will be made by UK governments, not our trade partners. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, the European Commission and the US Government have all confirmed this. The NHS is not at risk from TTIP or any other trade and investment agreement.