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 recent discussions her Department has had with UK businesses that are seeking to export hydrogen technology internationally.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Understanding the UK’s hydrogen capability and matching it with relevant high value export opportunities forms part of the work of the Department for International Trade’s Renewable Energy sector team. The Department has been engaging with UK suppliers from within the hydrogen industry, sector specific research centres and UK Government departments to understand the UK capability. UK Export Finance, regional offices and the department’s overseas network are all part of the support offer available.
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 24 February 2020 to Question 744 on Agriculture: Expert Trade Advisory Groups, when the Agri Food Expert Trade Advisory Group last met.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Agri Food Expert Trade Advisory Group is one of the formal engagement mechanisms to allow stakeholders the opportunity to feed into trade policy, ensuring the UK position is well-informed and reflects the interests of the whole of the UK. The Group meets regularly and last met on Wednesday 12 February 2020.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether there is an Expert Trade Advisory Group for agriculture.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Department for International Trade has established a number of cross-government Expert Trade Advisory Groups (ETAGs), including a dedicated Agri Food ETAG set up jointly with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs. ETAGs enable the Government to draw on external knowledge and expertise to ensure that the UK’s trade policy is backed up by evidence at a detailed level.
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 plans she has to increase the import of Ugandan beef into the UK.
Answered by Conor Burns
Uganda is eligible to trade with enhanced access to the UK via the Everything But Arms (EBA) tier of the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences. The EBA tier grants duty-free quota-free market access on all products except arms and ammunitions to all least developed countries (LDCs). The UK will provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme. The UK’s scheme will come in to effect after the EU transition period, which will encourage imports from developing countries, including Uganda.
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 he has made of whether not applying tariffs on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement would be compliant with World Trade Organisation rules.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Government is confident that it is acting within its rights and obligations as a Member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In developing our policy for the Northern Ireland border, alongside WTO rules, we have also had to take into consideration a broader set out of international obligations.
We are confident that the unique social, political and economic circumstances in Northern Ireland justify the temporary measures that the Government is taking, based on existing exceptions under WTO rules.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how his Department plans to consult Parliament in the formulation of trade negotiation mandates.
Answered by George Hollingbery
I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the reply I gave on 4 February to the question asked by the honourable Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies) (UNI 213161).