Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November to Question 67063, how much of the £243,892.79 spent on flights and accommodation between April 2022 and September 2022 related to costs incurred by officials.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department is unable to separate the cost of officials’ or ministers’ flights and accommodation from other types of travel related expenditure as to do so would represent a disproportionate cost.
However, the details, including the cost of all DIT Ministerial travel, can be found on www.gov.uk -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dit-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the answer given in written question UIN 67063, does the spend on flights and accommodation includes the costs arising from the Secretary of State's visit to New York on 28 and 29 September.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
I can confirm the figure specified in our response to written question UIN 67063 includes the costs arising from the Secretary of State’s visit to New York on 28 and 29 September 2022.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when her Department plans to publish its response to the consultation Trade with Switzerland: call for input which closed on 22 June 2022.
Answered by Greg Hands
We are currently reviewing submissions to the call for input on an enhanced free trade agreement with Switzerland, and continue to engage with stakeholders during this process. We will publish our response to the consultation prior to the formal commencement of negotiations with Switzerland, expected to be in 2023.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has processes in place to assess the likelihood of there being claims for investor-state dispute settlements being brought against the UK.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department for International Trade is responsible for policy on investment protection and Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), but other government departments are responsible for ensuring that actions they take comply with the UK’s international legal obligations, including with respect to assessing the risk of ISDS claims.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has had recent discussions with (a) fossil fuel producers and (b) other business groups on potential claims for investor-state dispute settlements being brought against the UK under the revised terms of the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department for International Trade has not had any recent engagement with fossil fuel producers or other business groups on potential claims for investor-state dispute settlement being brought against the UK under the modernised terms of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT).
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much her Department has spent on (a) flights and (b) hotel accommodation for visits by (i) officials and (ii) Ministers to the United States in the last 18 months.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
I refer the honourable Member to the answer given to her by my right honourable Friend, the Member for Portsmouth North (Penny Mordaunt), on 30 May 2022, UIN 5414.
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has spent a total of £243,892.79 on flights and accommodation between April 2022 and September 2022 for officials and Ministers visiting the United States of America.
DIT Ministerial travel is published at the following location; GOV.UK
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has made an assessment of the likelihood of an investor state dispute settlement claim being made against the UK under the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Greg Hands
The United Kingdom has investment agreements with Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions with over 90 trading partners, including within the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). There has never been a successful ISDS claim brought against the United Kingdom, nor has the threat of potential claims affected decisions taken by HM Government.
Negotiations have recently been completed to modernise the investment protection and dispute settlement provisions in the Energy Charter Treaty, which aim to provide greater clarity on the standards of protection afforded to investors and reduce the scope for claims with lack legal merit.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has received representations from (a) fossil fuel producers and (b) renewable energy producers on the Energy Charter Treaty.
Answered by Greg Hands
Energy and the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) are the responsibility of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary of State, with the Department for International Trade (DIT) leading on the investment provisions within the treaty. In this role, DIT has not had direct engagement on the Energy Charter Treaty with fossil fuel producers or renewable energy producers.