Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps she has taken to increase the proportion of UK trade through free trade agreements.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
We have secured trade agreements with 70 countries plus the EU, partners that accounted for £808bn of UK bilateral trade in 2021.
The Department for International Trade can report significant progress this year. We have signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with New Zealand and a Digital Economy Agreement with Singapore. We have completed three rounds of FTA negotiations with India and one round with Canada. We have completed a Call for Input on an enhanced FTA with Israel, and launched FTA negotiations with Mexico, Switzerland and Greenland. We are preparing to launch FTA negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that workers’ rights are maintained in all UK trade agreements.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government shares the public’s high regard for workers' rights and the Prime Minister has been clear that there will be no reduction in UK protections in signing up to new Free Trade Agreements.
The agreements secured with both Australia and New Zealand demonstrate our resolve to maintain workers’ rights, and our commitment to maintain high standards.
The Government has also committed to maintaining these standards in various public mandates, that set out our approach to trade negotiations.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she has taken to protect domestic food standards when negotiating free trade agreements.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
We have not and will not compromise on our high food safety through our trade negotiations. These decisions are made independently of free trade agreements (FTAs).
The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission considers whether our FTAs affect the United Kingdom’s statutory protections in relation to animal or plant life or health, animal welfare, and the environment - and recently concluded that the United Kingdom-Australia FTA does not.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answers of 21 June 2021 to Question 16807 on Trade Agreements: Australia and to Question 16808 on Livestock: Australia, what assessment she has made of whether Australian farmers would be allowed to export chickens reared using barren battery cages to the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for International Trade has always been clear that the deal with Australia will not compromise the UK’s high standards. This agreement does not create new permissions for imports from Australia. Imports will continue to meet the same UK food safety and biosecurity import standards as they did before.
The Government has secured a comprehensive partnership to work with Australia, including internationally, to progress animal welfare in partnership with Australia. The Government has also agreed a non-regression clause on animal welfare - a first in a Free Trade Agreement. This commitment means that neither country can lower their animal welfare standards to undercut the other.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the legality of (a) barren battery cages, (b) sow stalls, (c) hormone-fed beef, (d) hot branding and (e) mulesing in Australia on (i) food and (ii) farming standards in the UK.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for International Trade has always been clear that this deal will not compromise the UK’s high standards. Imports will still have to meet the same UK food safety and biosecurity import standards as they did before.
This deal will also not unfairly undercut UK farmers. The Government has agreed a ground-breaking non-regression clause on animal welfare, which means that neither country can lower their animal welfare standards to undercut the other. The Government has also agreed a general safeguard mechanism which will provide a safety net for industry if they face serious injury from increased imports as a direct consequence of the Free Trade Agreement.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that the UK's (a) farming standards are upheld and (b) farmers are not undercut by imports of animal products produced with lower standards in Australia as part of the free trade agreement with that country.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for International Trade has always been clear that this deal will not compromise the UK’s high standards. Imports will still have to meet the same UK food safety and biosecurity import standards as they did before.
This deal will also not unfairly undercut UK farmers. The Government hasagreed a ground-breaking non-regression clause on animal welfare, which means that neither country can lower their animal welfare standards to undercut the other. The Government hasalso agreed a general safeguard mechanism which will provide a safety net for industry if they face serious injury from increased imports as a direct consequence of the Free Trade Agreement.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make it his policy to seek to agree trade deals with the world's poorest countries once the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s exit from the EU creates a major opportunity for the UK to send a positive signal that our markets are open and we are determined to promote business with the developing world.
We will continue to play our part in reducing the barriers to trade, developing markets, reducing red tape and by helping to create stable business environments where British companies can invest and create jobs.
The Department for International Development and Department for International Trade are working closely together to ensure that trade with developing countries is central, rather than peripheral, to our new trade approach.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many and what proportion of the recipients of support from UK Export Finance were companies with at least one woman in a leadership position in each fiscal year since 2009-10.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
UK Export Finance (UKEF) is open to applications for its support from all UK companies looking to export and is raising awareness of its offer among businesses in all sectors and in all regions of the UK. UKEF does not currently collect information on the gender of staff in leadership positions for the companies that it supports.
Where such information is not commercially sensitive, the companies supported by UKEF since 2009-2010 are listed in its Annual Report and Accounts which are presented to Parliament.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to reduce poverty in developing countries through its international trade policy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK remains committed to ensuring developing countries can reduce poverty through trading opportunities; helping them to leave aid dependency behind and become our trading partners of the future.
The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
The Department for International Trade is working hand in hand with the Department for International Development to ensure that development and global prosperity are at the heart of UK trade policy and shape our future trade arrangements with developing countries.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many bank loans UK Export Finance protected by the NUTS 1 region in each year since 2009-10.
Answered by Mark Garnier
UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) range of products work through guaranteeing banks (either loans, bonds or letters of credit), providing a loan directly, or through insurance. UKEF records information on the region of the exporter for its trade finance products introduced in 2011 which provide a guarantee to a bank. These products cover contract bonds, working capital loans and letters of credit. They exclude UKEF guaranteed buyer credits. The number of trade finance facilities guaranteed by UKEF are listed by NUTS 1 region in the table below.
NUTS 1 REGION | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 |
North East England | 0 | 2 | 10 | 44 | 58 | 21 |
North West England | 2 | 8 | 52 | 19 | 35 | 8 |
Yorkshire & Humber | 2 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 10 | 7 |
East Midlands | 0 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 46 | 21 |
West Midlands | 2 | 5 | 39 | 13 | 18 | 16 |
East of England | 0 | 8 | 20 | 23 | 37 | 16 |
Greater London | 1 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 15 |
South East England | 0 | 50 | 72 | 40 | 43 | 28 |
South West England | 0 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 20 | 8 |
Wales | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 39 |
Scotland | 5 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 16 | 20 |
Northern Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |