Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2023 to Question 126730 on the UK Tradeshow Programme, how much and what proportion of the funding allocated to the Exhibit element of the UK Tradeshow Programme pilot was spent in 2022-23; and how many exhibitors received support through the scheme that same year.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The UK Tradeshow Programme 2022-2023 had a total allocated budget of £904,512.00 with actual spend totalling £347,755.67.
From 2022-2023, the Department spent a proportion of this on identifiable exhibitor and attendee elements. £191,057.54 on the exhibitor element and £41,020 on attendees’ elements. In the same period, the Department provided 56 exhibitors and 35 attendees with support.
The Tradeshow Programme offered an insight into how the Government can support business. We will continue to analyse the ways in which we can develop business support programmes to meet business needs, such as the Help to Grow scheme, and Business Academy programmes.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2023 to Question 126731 on the UK Tradeshow Programme, how much and what proportion of funding allocated to the Attendee element of the UK Tradeshow Programme pilot scheme was spent in 2022-23; and how many attendees received support through the scheme.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The UK Tradeshow Programme 2022-2023 had a total allocated budget of £904,512.00 with actual spend totalling £347,755.67.
From 2022-2023, the Department spent a proportion of this on identifiable exhibitor and attendee elements. £191,057.54 on the exhibitor element and £41,020 on attendees’ elements. In the same period, the Department provided 56 exhibitors and 35 attendees with support.
The Tradeshow Programme offered an insight into how the Government can support business. We will continue to analyse the ways in which we can develop business support programmes to meet business needs, such as the Help to Grow scheme, and Business Academy programmes.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 114620, how much and what proportion of the £1.5 million allocated to the Exhibit element of the UK Tradeshow Programme was spent; and how many exhibitors received support through the scheme in the financial year 2021-22.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The UK Tradeshow Programme 2021-2022 had a total allocated budget of £1,522,768. The actual spend for that period was £739,161.74 or 48.5%.
The exhibitor element of the scheme launched on 30 November 2021 with a budget of £251,427.36 and supported eight shows. The exhibitor spend was £13,600. Four exhibitor applications were received, two were successful.
The attendee element was launched on 20 January 2022 and the total attendee spend for 2021-22 was £0. Three complete applications were received, two not reaching the required criteria and one offer made but declined.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Answer of 8 February 2022 to Question 114620, what the cost to the public purse of the attendee element of the UK Tradeshow Programme was; and how many attendees received support through the scheme in financial year 2021-22.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The UK Tradeshow Programme 2021-2022 had a total allocated budget of £1,522,768. The actual spend for that period was £739,161.74 or 48.5%.
The exhibitor element of the scheme launched on 30 November 2021 with a budget of £251,427.36 and supported eight shows. The exhibitor spend was £13,600. Four exhibitor applications were received, two were successful.
The attendee element was launched on 20 January 2022 and the total attendee spend for 2021-22 was £0. Three complete applications were received, two not reaching the required criteria and one offer made but declined.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership on the operation of the Southern African Customs Union-UK economic partnership agreement; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
When the Department for Business and Trade assesses the impact of UK trade deals, it assesses the marginal impact of a new free trade agreement on the UK economy and on our trade relationships overall. As such, we do not conduct explicit analysis on the impact of UK new trade agreements on all the existing trade agreements of UK trading partners
However, while we have not specifically analysed this, there is no reason to expect the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership to impact the operation of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the UK and Southern African Customs Union (SACU) Member States and Mozambique.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the UK's trade finance gap; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Business and Trade does not maintain an estimate of the United Kingdom’s trade finance gap.
However, the government has a comprehensive trade finance offer to businesses.This includes the range of products offered by UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency, which has a mission to advance prosperity by ensuring no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, doing so sustainably and at no net cost to the taxpayer.
In 2021/22, UKEF provided £7.4 billion of support to exporters, supporting 545 companies directly (of whom 81% were small and medium sized enterprises), and thousands more indirectly in supply chains.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether those representatives nominated by the Trade Unions Congress will be accepted onto the Government’s Trade Advisory Groups; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
A review of Trade Advisory Groups began prior to the creation of the Department for Business and Trade and increased in scope at that point. The Department is reforming its approach to external engagement, to meet the needs of industry and match the priorities of the new Department. During this period, no new appointments have been made to these groups. Engagement with unions will continue regardless of any new format and my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade recently met with the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when she expects the review of the Trade Advisory Groups to conclude; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
A review of Trade Advisory Groups began prior to the creation of the Department for Business and Trade and increased in scope at that point. The Department is reforming its approach to external engagement, to meets the needs of industry and match the priorities of the new Department. A new approach will be set out in due course, but in the meantime the Department continues to engage with a full range of interested parties on key issues.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to paragraph 5.31 of the Autumn Statement 2022, CP751, published on 17 November 2022, whether the two-year suspension of certain tariffs applies to goods of Russian origin.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Following the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Government announced a punitive regime of 35 percentage point additional tariffs on imports of Russian and Belarusian origin. This continues to apply in addition to any tariff changes, including the suspensions announced on 17 November 2022. As punitive additional tariffs continue to apply on the goods subject to two-year suspensions, Russia will not be able to benefit from measures derived from an international trading system it does not respect.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April to Question 174176 on Trade Missions: Gujarat, (a) who led and (b) which businesses took part in each mission; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The following business missions visited Ahmedabad in the last five years.
1. UK Life Sciences mission to Vibrant Gujarat Global Investment Summit in January 2017
Mission led by: Sir Dominic Asquith, BHC India
UK participation: Absynth Biologics, Bioguard Hygiene, Cambridge Consultants, Grant Thornton, Indoor Biotechnologies, National Institute for Healthcare Research, O2H Ventures, PA Consulting Group, QX and Woodley Bioreg.
2. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) visit to Ahmedabad in May 2019
Mission led by: Department for International Trade officials
UK participation: Dr Ian Hudson, Chief Executive Officer, MHRA
3.UK Life Sciences trade delegation to Ahmedabad in September 2019
Mission led by: Department for International Trade officials
UK participation: Britest, ChargePoint Technology, Chief.AI, Enzbond, Intract Pharma, LightQx, Malvern Panalytical, Micropore, One Health Ventures, Proimmune, Scitegrity, Sphere Fluidics, Stemnovate, Veratrak and Viridian.
4. UK Defence delegation to Ahmedabad in October 2022
Mission led by: UK Defence and Security Exports
UK participation: Aerospace Logistics, Avon Protection, BAE Systems, Eaton Aerospace (Cobham), Expleo Group, GE Power Conversion, Hensoldt, Innovation DB, JFD, Kongsberg Maritime, Leoardo, MBDA UK, Pearson Engineering, Reliance, Precision, Ricardo, Rolls Rocyce, Smiths Detection, Strongfield Technologies, Survitec, Thales UK, Ultra Electronics and Webley & Scott
5.Wales Government outreach to Ahmedabad in February 2023
Mission led by: Department for International Trade officials
UK participation: Welsh Government officials
6.CPI Life Sciences outreach to Ahmedabad in February 2023
Mission led by: Department for International Trade and Science & Innovation Network officials
UK participation: Dave Tudor Managing Director and John Arthur, Director, Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, and Biologics, UK, and Arun Harish, Strategy Director and Cristina Blood, Senior Strategic Marketing Manager, CPI UK
7.UK Airport mission to Ahmedabad in February 2023
Mission led by: Department for International Trade officials
UK participation: British Aviation Group, Arup, Aurrigo, Foster + Partners, GATIC, Gillespie, Grimshaw, IAC, ICAD, ICF, IPSOTEK, NATS, TEX ATC and Zoeftig.
8.UKRI Foundation Industries mission to Ahmedabad in March 2023
Mission led by: UKRI and Innovate UK supported by Glass Futures, the Manufacturing Technology Centre and Knowledge Transfer Network
UK participation: Ai.Build, AiM Micromed, Carbon Re, CO2CO, Global Nano Network, Hexigone Inhibibitors, Material Evolution, Nanomax and The Glass Company