Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support her Department is providing to UK maritime businesses to attend overseas trade shows.
Answered by Graham Stuart
I refer the Hon. Member for Ceredigion to the answer I gave to the Rt Hon. Member for North Durham on 16 July 2021, UIN: 28979.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2021 to Question 10566 on Trade Agreements: Australia, if she will publish her Department’s assessment of the impact of the UK-Australia trade deal on future EU imports into the UK of (a) beef and (b) lamb.
Answered by Greg Hands
Following the conclusion of negotiations, a full impact assessment will be published prior to scrutiny by Parliament.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of a free trade agreement with Australia on farmers and food producers in Wales.
Answered by Greg Hands
The economic analysis, published on 17 June 2020, seeks to identify the potential scale of the long-term additional benefit to the UK from having a deal with Australia.
This deal is for the whole union. The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) Scoping Assessment found that Wales benefits in all modelled scenarios. Welsh foods and drinks producers will benefit from the removal of tariffs and non-tariff barriers. Any deal the Government signs with Australia will include protections for the agriculture industry and will not undercut UK farmers or compromise high standards.
DIT is establishing a trade hub in Wales as part of a new strategy to boost exports and bring the benefits of the Government’s global trade policy to the whole of the UK. Providing exporters with a direct feed into UK trade policy, to take better advantage of opportunities in fast-growing markets like the Indo-Pacific region.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential cumulative effect on UK emissions of providing (a) duty-free and (b) tariff-free access to agricultural goods from Australia.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government has always been clear that any free trade agreement it signs will not threaten the UK’s ability to meet its environmental commitments or its membership of international environmental agreements. The Government is seeking a deal with Australia that will further environmental and climate policy priorities and the UK will not compromise on high environmental protection.
The Government carried out a public consultation and scoping assessment for its free trade agreement negotiation with Australia, which can be found on the Government’s website (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-approach-to-negotiating-a-free-trade-agreement-with-australia/uk-australia-free-trade-agreement-the-uks-strategic-approach). This preliminary scoping assessment considered illustrative scenarios. Following the conclusion of negotiations, a full impact assessment will be published prior to implementation.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of a free trade agreement with Australia on (a) Ceredigion and (b) Wales.
Answered by Greg Hands
The economic analysis, published on 17 June 2020, seeks to identify the potential scale of the long-term additional benefit to the UK from having a deal with Australia.
This deal is for the whole union. The Department for International Trade’s (DIT) Scoping Assessment found that Wales benefits in all modelled scenarios. Top Welsh goods exports to Australia, including medicinal and pharmaceutical products, currently face tariffs of up to 5%, and will benefit from the liberalisation of tariffs on these products. Welsh foods and drinks producers will also benefit from the removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers.
DIT is establishing a trade hub in Wales as part of a new strategy to boost exports and bring the benefits of the government’s global trade policy to the whole of the UK. Providing exporters with a direct feed into UK trade policy, to take better advantage of opportunities in fast-growing markets like the Indo-Pacific region.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 (a) support and (b) advice for businesses exporting to the EU.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department supports exporters across the UK, including through overseas posts, great.gov.uk, international events and missions. A Europe Trade Hub provides in-market support to British businesses exporting to European markets, and businesses can also access sector-specific expertise. The Department conducts an independent annual Export Client Survey with c.6000 businesses to assess services: for example, of those using Posts in 2018/19, 73% were satisfied / very satisfied. Additionally, Government is conducting roundtables and webinars to understand UK business needs better. Companies in Wales also receive support from the Welsh Government, in line with devolved responsibilities.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to promote British wool exports.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Trade promotion campaigns in key markets; partnership working with stakeholders, such as the UK Fashion and Textiles Association, at tradeshows, like Premier Vision; leveraging of the DIT’s teams in 110 countries; financing and insurance from UK Export Finance; and the global promotion of the GREAT campaign; are some of the many measures being taken to support British wool exports.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of banning the import of palm oil into the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not propose to ban the import of palm oil. 70% of the UK’s palm oil imports were from sustainable sources in 2019. An import ban on unsustainable palm oil risks substitution with other oils which typically require significantly more land to produce and may lead to greater deforestation. We continue to work with producer countries to tackle the underlying issues of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Last month, the Government tabled a new ‘due diligence’ requirement under the Environment Bill to tackle illegal deforestation.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to prevent the import of unsustainably produced palm oil into the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not propose to ban the import of palm oil. 70% of the UK’s palm oil imports were from sustainable sources in 2019. An import ban on unsustainable palm oil risks substitution with other oils which typically require significantly more land to produce and may lead to greater deforestation. We continue to work with producer countries to tackle the underlying issues of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Last month, the Government tabled a new ‘due diligence’ requirement under the Environment Bill to tackle illegal deforestation.