Trade Bill — After Clause 2 — International Trade Agreements — Health and Care — 19 Jan 2021 at 18:37

The majority of MPs voted to allow ministers to implement trade deals which undermine the NHS, risk the rights of public sector workers, involve non-UK arbitration schemes for public services, and which allow the sale of health data.

MPs were considering the Trade Bill.^[1][2]

The amendment accepted by the majority of MPs in this vote

• That this House disagrees with Lords amendment 4

Lords amendment 4^[3] stated:

• Insert the following new Clause—
• “'International trade agreements: health, care or publicly funded data processing services and IT systems in connection with the provision of health and care
• (1) Regulations under section 2(1) may make provision for the purpose of implementing an international trade agreement only if the conditions in subsections (2), (3) and (4) are met in relation to the application of that agreement in any part of the United Kingdom.
• (2) The condition in this subsection is that no provision of that international trade agreement in any way undermines or restricts the ability of an appropriate authority—
• (a) to provide a comprehensive publicly funded health service free at the point of delivery,
• (b) to protect the employment rights or terms and conditions of employment for public sector employees and those working in publicly funded health or care sectors,
• (c) to regulate and maintain the quality and safety of health or care services,
• (d) to regulate and maintain the quality and safety of medicines and medical devices,
• (e) to regulate and control the pricing and reimbursement systems for the purchase of medicines or medical devices,
• (f) to provide health data processing services and IT systems for commissioners, analysts and clinicians in relation to patient data, public health data and publicly provided social care data relating to UK citizens, or
• (g) to regulate and maintain the level of protection afforded in relation to patient data, public health data and publicly provided social care data relating to UK citizens.
• (3) The condition in this subsection is that the agreement—
• (a) explicitly excludes application of any provision within that agreement to publicly funded health or care services,
• (b) explicitly excludes provision for any Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clause that provides, or is related to, the delivery of public services, health care, care or public health,
• (c) explicitly excludes provision for any ISDS clause regarding data access and processing in relation to patient and public health data for the purposes of research, planning and innovation,
• (d) explicitly excludes the use of any negative listing, standstill or ratchet clause that provides, or is related to, the delivery of public services, health care, care or public health,
• (e) contains explicit recognition that an appropriate authority (within the meaning of section 4) has the right to enact policies, legislation and regulation which protect and promote health, public health, social care and public safety in health or care services, and
• (f) prohibits the sale of patient data, public health data and publicly provided social care data, except where all proceeds are explicitly ring-fenced for reinvestment in the UK’s health and care system.
• (4) The condition in this subsection is that the agreement explicitly allows, in the case of any traded algorithm or data-driven technology which could be deployed as a medical device, for the methodology for processing sensitive data to be independently audited or scrutinised for potential harm by an appropriate regulatory body in the United Kingdom where it relates to trade in medical algorithms, technology or devices.
• (5) For the purposes of this section— “negative listing” means a listing only of exceptions, exclusions or limits to commitments made by parties to the agreement;
• “ratchet” in relation to any provision in an agreement means any provision whereby a party, if (after the agreement has been ratified) it has unilaterally removed a barrier in an area where it had made a commitment before the agreement was ratified, may not reintroduce that barrier; and
• “standstill” in relation to any provision in an agreement means any provision by which parties list barriers which are in force at the time that they sign the agreement and undertake not to introduce any new barriers.”

--

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Trade Bill, Parliament.uk
• [2] Explanatory notes to the Trade Bill, 18 January 2021, Parliament.uk
• [3] Lords amendments to the Trade Bill, 18 January 2021, Parliament.uk

Debate in Parliament |