Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of Exchequer on the (a) process of negotiation and (b) ratifying the UK’s tax treaties with (i) Lesotho and (ii) Columbia.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State for International Development has not had any discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on tax treaty negotiations between the UK and Lesotho and Colombia.
HMRC is the lead department for the negotiation of the UK’s tax treaties, reporting to HM Treasury Ministers. HMRC seeks views from a range of interested parties, including DFID, and then takes a judgement about which countries to seek to engage with. DFID supports this approach which led to recent successful negotiations with Colombia and Lesotho.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what involvement officials of her Department had during the process of negotiation and ratification of the UK’s new tax treaties with Lesotho and Columbia.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
HM Revenue and Customs is the lead department for the negotiation of the UK’s tax treaties, reporting to HM Treasury Ministers. HMRC seeks views from a range of interested parties, including DFID, and then decides with which countries to seek to engage. DFID are fully supportive of the approach. DFID and HMRC officials work closely together to deliver technical assistance to build capacity in developing country tax authorities.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answers of 18 July 2017 to Questions 4979 and 4980, for what reasons there was a reduction in ICS (a) expenditure in financial year 2016-17 and (b) participants in 2016.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID contracts Voluntary Service Overseas to manage the International Citizen Service, deploying 20,000 volunteers from the UK and developing countries between September 2015 and February 2019. Fluctuations in volunteer numbers and expenditure from year to year are a normal feature of the programme.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many 18 to 25-year-olds took part in the International Citizens Service programme in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The International Citizen Service (ICS) provides opportunities for young people from across Britain and developing countries to take part in international volunteering.
Table 1 shows how many participants have taken part in ICS in each of the last five years. It also includes the split between British volunteers and those from developing countries.
Table 1 – ICS Participants | |||
Year | British volunteers | Developing country volunteers | Yearly total |
2012 | 501 | 392 | 893 |
2013 | 2023 | 1354 | 3377 |
2014 | 2918 | 2693 | 5611 |
2015 | 3627 | 3532 | 7159 |
2016 | 3211 | 3206 | 6417 |
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much statutory funding the International Citizen Service programme has received in each of the last five years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The Department for International Development (DfID) provides funding to the International Citizen Service (ICS) programme to enable young people from across Britain and developing countries to take part in international volunteering.
Table 1 provides an outline of DfID expenditure on ICS in each of the last five financial years.
Table – ICS Expenditure | |
Financial year | Expenditure |
2012-13 | 7,399,000 |
2013-14 | 16,927,000 |
2014-15 | 24,443,000 |
2015-16 | 26,263,000 |
2016-17 | 25,166,000 |
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2017 to Question 67083, on trade agreements, if she will publish the review referred to in the Answer of 14 March 2017 to Question 66937, on overseas trade.
Answered by Rory Stewart
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 14th March 2017 to Question number 66937.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2017 to Question 64094, if she will publish her Department's review of UK future trade policy.
Answered by Rory Stewart
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided on 14th March 2017 to Question number 66937.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2017 to Question 64094, on trade agreements: sustainable development, if she will publish her Department's review of the UK's future trade policy.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Government will continue to review the UK future trade policy. The Department for International Development and the Department for International Trade will continue to work together to decide how our future trading arrangements with developing countries can support sustainable development.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to promote coherence between the Government's tax treaties, international trade policies and her Department's development strategy in relation to the effect of UK tax and trade policies on developing countries.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID is working in collaboration with HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs to develop the Government’s tax and development policy, and to improve the capacity of developing country tax administrations to raise revenue. We are also working closely with the Department for International Trade to support the Government’s work on international trade policy, with a specific focus on creating jobs and livelihoods in order to reduce poverty around the world.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that future trade negotiations between the UK and developing countries support sustainable development in those countries.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Government committed to investing in development to build a safer, healthier, more prosperous world with a focus on helping developing countries leave aid dependency behind to become our trading partners of the future. We are currently reviewing the UK future trade policy as we prepare to leave the EU. The Department for International Trade and the Department for International Development are working together to decide how our future trading arrangements can support sustainable development.