Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse has been of each Trade Envoy since their appointment, to date.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Trade Envoys are unpaid. Total expenditure for the trade envoy programme since its launch in November 2012 has been £987,153.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on trade priorities for the UK’s G7 presidency.
Answered by Greg Hands
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has discussed with Cabinet colleagues global trade priorities for our G7 Presidency, including climate, health and digital trade, including with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to ensure common priorities in the UK's G7 Ministerial tracks.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of cases of bullying and harassment that have been recorded against managers in his Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Department for International Trade (DIT) was formed in July 2016. As such, we do not hold any data from before this time.
Bullying and harassment is taken very seriously in DIT and is a central part of DIT’s Fair Treatment at Work Policy, which is available to all staff through our internal intranet. As part of this and alongside our HR function, DIT has in place first responders who are trained to support and signpost individuals on issues relating to bullying and harassment.
Year | Number of cases centrally reported by the department |
2016 (From July) |
|
2017 | 7 |
2018 |
|
2019 (To date) |
|
Where there are fewer than 5 cases recorded, we are not able to provide exact figures as this may lead to individuals being identified. We are not able to provide specific figures for the incidents recorded against managers only as we do not collect this data centrally.
This data covers staff in the UK, and UK based staff working overseas.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has entered into with departmental staff in each of the last five years.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for International Trade (DIT) was set up in July 2016. There have been no non-disclosure agreements signed with employees working for DIT or UK Export Finance (UKEF) since this date.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government plans to rollover the EU Free Trade Agreement with Canada in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by George Hollingbery
In the event of leaving the EU without a deal, the UK is seeking continuity for our existing EU free trade agreements, including the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada. Both Prime Minister May and Prime Minister Trudeau have agreed to working towards a ‘seamless transition’ of CETA. Discussions are at an advanced stage.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that new free trade agreements after the UK leaves the EU do not (a) lower standards in and (b) privatise NHS services.
Answered by George Hollingbery
Protecting the NHS is of the utmost importance and the UK Government’s position is that the NHS is not, and never will be, for sale to the private sector, whether overseas or domestic. The NHS is protected by specific exceptions and reservations in EU trade agreements, including the recent EU-Canada agreement (CETA). As we leave the EU, the UK will continue to ensure that rigorous protections for the NHS are included in trade agreements it is party to, whether transitioned from an EU context or as a result of new negotiations.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what responsibilities his Department will have after 29 March 2019 in the event that the House agrees to the EU-UK withdrawal deal.
Answered by George Hollingbery
After 29 March 2019, the Department of International Trade’s responsibilities will continue to be, as they are now:
• To support and encourage UK businesses to drive sustainable international growth;
• To ensure the UK remains a leading destination for international investment and maintains its number one position for international investment stock in Europe;
• To open markets, building a trade framework with new and existing partners which is free and fair;
• To use trade and investment to underpin the government’s agenda for a Global Britain and its ambitions for prosperity, stability and security worldwide.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to achieve future trade liberalisation between Israel and the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Hollingbery
As we leave the European Union, we are seeking to replicate our existing EU free trade agreements and other EU preferential arrangements, to ensure continuity in our trade and investment relationships with third countries.
The Prime Minister and Israeli Prime Minister established a joint trade working group in February 2017. In March 2017, my noble friend, the then Minister of State for Trade Policy (Lord Price CVO), visited Israel to chair the first meeting of the working group, which is continuing to make positive progress towards ensuring a smooth transition.
Securing continuity will be a strong foundation to build upon our already successful trading relationships after we leave the EU, and we are making good progress.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the benefits accrued by the UK in trade liberalisation between the EU and Israel are not lost when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Hollingbery
As we leave the European Union, we are seeking to replicate our existing EU free trade agreements and other EU preferential arrangements, to ensure continuity in our trade and investment relationships with third countries.
The Prime Minister and Israeli Prime Minister established a joint trade working group in February 2017. In March 2017, my noble friend, the then Minister of State for Trade Policy (Lord Price CVO), visited Israel to chair the first meeting of the working group, which is continuing to make positive progress towards ensuring a smooth transition.
Securing continuity will be a strong foundation to build upon our already successful trading relationships after we leave the EU, and we are making good progress.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to achieve future trade liberalisation between Israel and the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Hollingbery
As we leave the European Union, we are seeking to replicate our existing EU free trade agreements and other EU preferential arrangements, to ensure continuity in our trade and investment relationships with third countries.
The Prime Minister and Israeli Prime Minister established a joint trade working group in February 2017. In March 2017, my noble friend, the then Minister of State for Trade Policy (Lord Price CVO), visited Israel to chair the first meeting of the working group, which is continuing to make positive progress towards ensuring a smooth transition.
Securing continuity will be a strong foundation to build upon our already successful trading relationships after we leave the EU, and we are making good progress.