Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill: call for evidence

Aims of the Bill

The Bill has eight clauses and one schedule. It has a narrow focus on changing domestic law in relation to technical barriers to trade, government procurement and intellectual property rights.

Technical barriers to trade

The Bill would amend the law on Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) which deal with testing certification and inspection of goods. It would ensure that CABs established in CPTPP countries are treated no less favourably than UK’s domestic CABs and may assess if goods for exports comply with UK legal requirements.

Government procurement

The Bill would ensure certain types of public authority contracts are opened to suppliers of CPTPP countries. This would ensure their fair and non-discriminatory treatment on a par with domestic suppliers. To achieve this, the Bill would make some technical changes to the UK procurement legal framework.

Intellectual property

The Bill would make provisions in relation to geographical indications (GIs) and performers’ rights. Geographical indications are trade marks to identify a product as coming from a particular location and signifying its quality or reputation linked to that location. The Bill would ensure an interested person can oppose an application to register a GI of an agri-food product in certain circumstances. It would also permit the cancellation of GI in certain circumstances.

The Bill would also expand the eligibility criteria for rights in performances so that a performance is eligible for protection in UK law.

Territorial extent

The Bill would extend to the whole of the UK, subject to certain limitations regarding procurement. Provisions relating to conformity assessment and geographical indications would not apply in Northern Ireland.

For this Bill, the UK Government is seeking legislative consent from the Senedd Cymru, the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly in relation to matters which fall within their competence.

Follow the progress of the Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [HL]

The Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [HL] was introduced in the House of Lords on 8 November 2023 and completed its stages there on 23 January 2024. The Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 24 January. The Bill’s second reading was held on 29 January.

• Bills before Parliament: Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [HL]
• Read Explanatory Notes: Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [HL]
• House of Commons Library Briefing Paper

There will be no oral evidence sessions.

Guidance on submitting written evidence

Deadline for written evidence submissions

The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration and possibly reflect it in an amendment. The order in which amendments are taken in Committee will be available in due course under Selection of Amendments on the Bill documents pages. Once the Committee has dealt with an amendment it will not revisit it.

The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be on Tuesday 20 February and the Committee is scheduled to report by Thursday 22 February. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Thursday 22 February. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.

Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk

Further guidance on submitting written evidence can be found here (pdf, 1MB).

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