Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much the Government has spent on television advertisements urging businesses to export in the last 12 months; and what the business case was for that expenditure.
Answered by Greg Hands
Since April 2016, the Government has spent £1.97m on television advertising as part of the Exporting is GREAT campaign to inspire more businesses to take their next step towards exporting by visiting the website great.gov.uk.
Television advertising gives us the ability to communicate with a large audience across the UK, generate awareness and encourage action. We target specific audiences and TV is a cost effective medium that compliments other communications activity across radio, print, online and email. This ensures our message reaches the intended audiences.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has consulted the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets on the implications for its remit of the draft Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The lead department on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was previously the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and is now the Department for International Trade. BIS established a process for regular cross-Whitehall engagement with relevant parts of Government to ensure matters arising from the TTIP discussions have been considered appropriately.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has consulted the Competition and Markets Authority on the implications for its remit of the draft Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The lead department on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) was previously the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and is now the Department for International Trade. BIS established a process for regular cross-Whitehall engagement with relevant parts of Government to ensure matters arising from the TTIP discussions have been considered appropriately.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many trade negotiators he has hired since 23 June 2016; and what the aggregate cost is of their contracts.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department for International Trade already has a strong and capable trade policy team which has more than doubled in size since 23 June. Over the coming months we will be developing that team to build the world class negotiating strengths needed to deliver the best outcomes for the UK. They will have the depth and breadth of expertise to handle the full range of sectoral and cross-cutting issues that arise in trade agreements, supported by analysts and lawyers. We will continue to hire the brightest and best talent from within the UK civil service and in time, will look to enhance our team by drawing on expertise from elsewhere.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what schedules his Department has prepared for World Trade Organisation tariffs on goods and services for the period after the UK has exited the EU.
Answered by Greg Hands
The UK already has World Trade Organisation (WTO) schedules for goods and services, contained within those of the EU.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what his Department's capital and current budgets are for (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.
Answered by Greg Hands
The newly created Department for International Trade (DIT) has been formed from the previous UK Trade and Investent (UKTI) and from the Trade Policy Unit of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade also has responsibility for UK Export Finance (the Export Credits Guarantee Department), which has its own budget.
The estimated annual budgeted operating costs of the department for the next four years are currently being established and will be submitted to parliament later this financial year.