Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department has taken to increase foreign direct investment in the UK’s green industries.
Answered by Mike Freer
The Department, alongside the Office for Investment, drives green investment through several levers. Examples include the Clean Growth Campaign, which supports strategic investments into green supply chain capability and capacity, as well as the Investment Atlas, which promotes strategically important investment opportunities online, and our High Potential Opportunities programme, which highlights geography specific opportunities. We work to promote investment into green technologies across the UK, including opportunities in the Tees Valley into heat networks, carbon fibre, and biomanufacturing sectors.
In the period 18 November 2020 to 24 September 2021 the Department supported 46 investments linked to the Prime Minister’s ten-point plan for a green industrial revolution. These projects had a combined capital expenditure of £2.6 billion and created 2,296 new jobs.
For further detail I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 30 November to Question UIN 79334.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department has taken to increase exports of digital services.
Answered by Mike Freer
The UK is a services and digital superpower, the world’s second largest services exporter, and the fifth biggest exporter of digital tech services. The Department for International Trade (DIT) announced a refreshed cross-government Export Strategy: Made in UK, Sold to the World last autumn, which is business-focused and centred around a 12-Point Plan. By improving the capability and skills of exporters and internationalising key trading sectors like digital services in fast growing markets, this strategy will change the UK’s exporting culture and our ability to ‘sell to the world.’
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress her Department has made on securing UK membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
On 18 February 2022 the UK reached a major milestone in our accession process. Japan, on behalf of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) members, announced that the UK can move onto the final phase of the accession process, market access negotiations. This means the UK has demonstrated to members of the partnership that it is a high-standards, fair trading economy.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of UK Export Finance in supporting UK businesses.
Answered by Mike Freer
UK Export Finance’s (UKEF’s) mission is to ensure that no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, while operating at no net cost to the taxpayer. During financial year 2020/21, UKEF provided support of £12.3 billion to UK exporters selling to 77 countries around the world, supporting 549 companies directly (of whom 79% were small and medium sized enterprises), and thousands more indirectly in supply chains. UKEF has provided £29 billion of support to UK exporters in the last five financial years. The corresponding figures for 2021/22 will be published in due course in the next Annual Report and Accounts.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support UK manufacturing exports.
Answered by Mike Freer
Last Autumn, the Department for International Trade (DIT) published the refreshed Export Strategy with an action-led 12-point plan to help exporters, including those in the manufacturing sector, to thrive in the global market and raise the UK’s exporting culture in the long-term. This includes initiatives such as the Export Support Service (ESS), the UK Export Academy, UK Export Finance, International Trade Advisers, and global networks. We are reaching out to businesses across all UK regions and nations to amplify exports opportunities for our manufacturers.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department has taken to reduce barriers to global trade for British businesses.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
We have secured trade deals with 70 countries around the world, plus the EU, covering trade worth £772 billion in 2020.
In addition, we resolved over 200 trade barriers across 74 countries during the 2020/21 financial year - an increase of 20% on the previous year, securing access for wheat to be exported to Mexico, a market which imports approximately £900 million of wheat a year, and opening the Chilean market for British pork exports, estimated to be worth £20 million in the first five years of trade.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her US counterpart on reducing market barriers at state level in the US for the purpose of increasing trade with that country.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
I have met with Governors and stakeholders from states across the US, including during a visit between 5 and 15 December 2021 and a virtual US visit at the beginning of February. Through these engagements I have been met with great interest in doing more with the UK.
We are exploring mechanisms for deepening our trade and cooperation with states including through Memoranda of Understanding. We are also engaging with professional bodies and regulators across the US to explore where we can reduce barriers, including through recognition of professional qualifications.
This will help deliver value to business and supporting our areas of shared interest, such as through levelling up and strengthening our existing ties.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to help UK exports reach Ukraine.
Answered by Mike Freer
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has expanded the Export Support Service to act as a single point of enquiry for businesses and traders with questions relating to the trading environment in Ukraine.
Any business that has question about trading with Ukraine can submit an online enquiry or call our helpline.
DIT will continue to support business and traders during this period. Having a dedicated export support team ready to help at the end of the phone will ensure business can access the information they need at any time.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to lift US tariffs on imports from the UK.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
It is a government priority to make UK-US trade easier, quicker and more cost effective. The UK and US have worked together to remove harmful trade irritants, such as resolving the long-running Large Civil Aircraft dispute and agreeing to terminate the Section 301 investigation and suspend tariffs relating to the Digital Services Tax.
On 22 March, we secured an expansive removal of Section 232 tariffs on US imports of UK steel and aluminium. From 1 June, the US will remove the 25% and 10% additional duties on UK steel and aluminium respectively, up to a specified volume. This will bring welcome relief to the UK steel and aluminium industries which support the jobs of around 80,000 people across the UK supply chain.
This clears the way for us to focus on strengthening the UK-US trading relationship, for example through our recently launched UK US Joint Dialogues on the Future of Atlantic Trade.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of UK sanctions on Russia in reducing international trade with that country.
Answered by Mike Freer
In coordination with our allies, we are introducing the largest and most severe economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced. The expected impact of trade sanctions are available alongside the relevant legislation: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/195/impacts. We do not speculate on future sanctions.