Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to help support participation by (a) African states, (b) the African Union and (c) the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area in the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate launched on 19 January 2023.
Answered by Greg Hands
The UK is committed to working with African partners to ensure trade supports long-term climate action.
The Secretary of State for International Trade participated in the inaugural meeting of the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate, alongside 7 African trade ministers.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department received notification of any arms export requests from the Government of Gabon in the last year; and whether any of those licences have been granted to that country.
Answered by James Duddridge
For the last reportable year of licensing statistics, which is 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, we did receive export licence applications for military goods for the Government of Gabon. However, in the same period, no export licences were granted for military goods for the Government of Gabon.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The UK’s strong support for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the African Union’s most ambitious regional economic integration initiative, was highlighted by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the AfCFTA Secretariat and the UK. This was the first of its kind with a non-African country. As a non-binding MoU, it will not be published. However, it will provide the UK and the AfCFTA Secretariat a framework for partnership on implementation of the agreement, trade facilitation and investment.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to Strategic export controls: licensing statistics: 1 April to 30 June 2021, Table E, what each of the military licences granted for export to Ethiopia related to in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Freer
Information on all military licences granted for export to Ethiopia over the last five years is available on GOV.UK, from the strategic export controls licensing statistics annual reports, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data-annual-reports.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Government adherence to the rule of law regarding the issuance of arms export licences to Saudi Arabia.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Secretary of State unreserved apologised to the Court and to Parliament for the inadvertent breaches of the Undertaking given to the Court by the then Secretary of State in the Order of the Court dated 20 June 2019.
The Permanent Secretary on behalf of the Secretary of State has commissioned a full investigation to: (i) establish the precise circumstances in which these licences were granted; (ii) establish whether any other licences have been granted in breach of the undertaking to the Court or the commitment to Parliament; and (iii) confirm that procedures are in place to ensure that no further such breaches can occur. The Director General Policy Group at the Department for Work and Pensions has been appointed to lead this investigation.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 31 July 2019 to Question 280324 on Arms Trade: Trade Fairs, what engagement by Government Ministers will be provided to the Defence and Security Equipment International 2019 arms fair.
Answered by Graham Stuart
It is expected that Ministers from MOD, DIT and BEIS will attend Defence and Security Equipment International 2019 (DSEI). Last minute diary changes may supersede any arrangements made. Details of the Ministers who attended will be available after 13 September 2019.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which Cabinet colleagues will attend the Defence and Security Equipment International 2019 event.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government ministers who will attend the Defence and Security Equipment International 2019 event have not yet been confirmed.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support the Government is providing to the Defence and Security Equipment International 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government provides a range of support to Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI), including the provision of military assets and engagement by Government Ministers. The Department for International Trade’s Defence and Security Organisation invites a number of international delegates on behalf of Her Majesty’s Government including overseas ministers, senior Government officials and military staff. All invitations to overseas delegations follow a stringent process of scrutiny and approval involving both the Department for International Trade and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Asked by: Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2019 to Question 257461 and the Answer of 27 February 2019 to Question 226638, when information about which countries from the human rights priority list are planning to attend Defence and Security Equipment International 2019 will be available.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for International Trade (DIT) publishes the list of international delegations invited to Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) on gov.uk shortly before the event and updates this to indicate which countries attended after the event.