Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish the criteria her Department plans to use for prioritising Official Development Assistance spending in the event of a decrease in GNI.
Answered by Greg Hands
To tackle poverty and advance our Global Britain objectives, the Department for International Trade (DIT) takes evidence-based spending decisions and maintains high standards of programme delivery that are consistent with Her Majesty’s Governments (HMG) best practice.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department's share of the Official Development Assistance will be reduced in the event of a decrease in GNI.
Answered by Greg Hands
The UK has a legal commitment to spend 0.7% of its Gross National Income (GNI) each year on Official Development Assistance (ODA). Since this commitment is linked to the size of the economy, the level of ODA spend is likely to decrease this year. HM Treasury allocates ODA budgets to departments and is responsible for decisions on changes to these.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department is signing new funding agreements for projects from the Official Development Assistance budget.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government reviews the Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding it allocates to projects on a regular basis in order to ensure delivery of its commitment to spend 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA.
The Department for International Trade has no current plans to enter into new funding agreements utilising the UK’s ODA.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to her Answer of 26 February 2020 to Question 18647 on Trade Agreements: Negotiations, how many and which countries her Department has held preliminary trade talks with.
Answered by Conor Burns
We have been talking with a range of partners to develop our trading arrangements.
Through the trade working groups established with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, we have laid much of the groundwork to start negotiations for free trade agreements.
We are also continuing our programme to replicate the effects of existing EU trade agreements – by the time we left the EU, we had signed trade continuity agreements with 48 countries.
In addition, we engage with trading partners through our overseas network, discussions with embassies in London, ministerial discussions and visits, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys, and HM Trade Commissioners. This includes with partners such as China, India and Brazil.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February to Question 15042, on what date her Department plans to publish its objectives for future free trade agreements.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Secretary of State for International Trade made a Written Ministerial Statement on 6 February, HCWS101, setting out the Government’s proposed approach to free trade agreements (FTAs). This set out that we will publish negotiating objectives accompanied by an initial economic assessment, as well as the Government response to the public consultation. There will be further statements made in the coming weeks, setting out our plans for FTAs with global partners.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2020 to Question 11628 on Trade Agreements: Disclosure of Information, if he will publish the membership of the Strategic Trade Advisory Group.
Answered by Conor Burns
Membership of the Strategic Trade Advisory Group is published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/strategic-trade-advisory-group.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2020 to Question 11628 on Trade Agreements: Disclosure of Information, which organisations are members of the network of Expert Trade Advisory Groups.
Answered by Conor Burns
Over 250 organisations are members of the network of Expert Trade Advisory Groups. I intend to publish the names of these organisations shortly.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many times the Strategic Trade Advisory Group has met since its inception.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Strategic Trade Advisory Group has met three times since its inception. I have been in the Chair for two of these meetings.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many times the network of Expert Trade Advisory Groups has met since its establishment.
Answered by Conor Burns
In total, the network of Expert Trade Advisory Groups (17 separate groups) have met 55 times.