Asked by: Chris Williamson (Independent - Derby North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Department for International Trade has provided no funding, contracts or procured services from the Integrity Initiative.
Asked by: Chris Williamson (Independent - Derby North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will review the guidance provided to businesses and banks on trading with illegal Israeli settlements.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The UK and Israel have a strong and important trading relationship and we are firmly opposed to boycotts or sanctions. We do not recognise the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the settlements, as part of Israel and they are not covered by the current EU-Israel Association Agreement, which governs our trade with Israel.
It is up to individual businesses whether they undertake business dealings with companies operating in illegal settlements. The Government neither supports nor encourages such dealings. The FCO advises businesses on the risks of so doing.
Asked by: Chris Williamson (Independent - Derby North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the barring of civil society groups from this year's WTO summit; and if he will make statement.
Answered by Greg Hands
We have been working with international partners to express that the UK Government is committed to a transparent and inclusive approach to trade, and civil society must have the opportunity to engage with and contribute to trade policy. The UK cooperated with the EU on the issuing of a letter on 7th December 2017 to the Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Marcelo Faurie and the Chairwoman of the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference, Susana Malcorra. This letter expressed concerns over the actions taken to revoke the accreditation of certain civil society representatives.