Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has discussed the role of trade policy in helping to tackle climate change with the Welsh Government.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
We are supporting climate change objectives by using trade policy to facilitate the uptake and spread of low carbon goods and services, addressing market distorting practices, reaffirming the United Kingdom’s sovereign right to regulate and driving cooperation on trade and climate change issues through international forums.
Close engagement and collaboration with all Devolved Administrations across the United Kingdom is important, including on environmental chapters and clauses. The Welsh Government is able to feed into trade negotiations at every stage of the process, and their contribution has directly shaped the development of British trade policy.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the role of trade policy in helping to tackle climate change.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
We are supporting climate change objectives by using trade policy to facilitate the uptake and spread of low carbon goods and services, addressing market distorting practices, reaffirming the United Kingdom’s sovereign right to regulate and driving cooperation on trade and climate change issues through international forums.
Close engagement and collaboration with all Devolved Administrations across the United Kingdom is important, including on environmental chapters and clauses. The Welsh Government is able to feed into trade negotiations at every stage of the process, and their contribution has directly shaped the development of British trade policy.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she travelled by (a) rail, (b) road or (c) air to COP26 in Glasgow.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
All delegates have been encouraged to consider low-carbon travel options to attend COP26.
The UK will be offsetting carbon emissions associated with running the event, including the emissions associated with travel.
As the IPCC report underlines, COP26 is vital this November to allow world leaders to come together and set out decisive commitments to tackle climate change.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she discussed the contents of the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement with the Welsh Government before it was signed.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
We have not yet signed a Free Trade Agreement with New Zealand but we did reach Agreement in Principle (AIP) on Wednesday 27th October. My officials have been holding discussions with the Devolved Administrations through the entire negotiation and were in constant contact in the run up to AIP. My predecessor, Minister Hands, spoke to the Welsh Government on a number of occasions to update them on progress in negotiations with New Zealand, most recently at the Ministerial Forum for Trade on the 14th July. We offered meetings to all DAs in advance of the AIP for NZ being announced. The Welsh government accepted a meeting but the Minister was then not able to attend. We offered a further meeting which was accepted.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to help increase UK exports of clean maritime technologies.
Answered by Mike Freer
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has undertaken several initiatives to boost exports. These include the Internationalisation Fund and Export Academy, available to the English regions, as well as the newly launched Export Support Service accessible to all UK businesses. Similar schemes are available across the Devolved Administrations of the UK through Business Wales, Scottish Development International and Invest Northern Ireland.
Furthermore, in addition to the recently launched Green Shipbuilding Campaign designed to promote the UK capability within the clean maritime sector, DIT, in partnership with the Department for Transport, will support the winners of the Government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition to promote exportable technology at upcoming events such as COP26.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when she last met Ministers in the Welsh Government.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Minister of State for Trade Policy leads on the engagement with the Devolved Administrations, including chairing the Ministerial Forum for Trade. The most recent forum took place on 14th July 2021, at which Minister Vaughan Gething from the Welsh Government and I discussed issues relating to the UK’s international trade agenda.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many Black and ethnic minority staff are employed by her Department.
Answered by Greg Hands
As of 31 March 2021, the Department for International Trade, including UK Export Finance, employs 610 people who identify as Black, Asian or Ethnic Minority from a reportable population of 3103 (19.65%). This includes only those on our domestic payrolls and UK based staff working overseas.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what her policy is on her Department's rates of recycling of plastic, paper, metal and other products; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department for International Trade (DIT) continually review the waste generated on the estate and work with commercial colleagues on circular economy principles to reduce the amount of waste that arrives on its sites.
Further information on Greening Government Commitments can be found at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/883779/ggc-annual-report-2018-2019.pdf
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of her Department's energy usage in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department’s expenditure on energy during 2020/21 was £428k.
For previous financial years please see the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts:
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when she last met representatives of CARICOM.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
Ministers regularly engage with their Caribbean Community (CARICOM) counterparts.
I last discussed trade with my counterparts, including the new Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM)-United Kingdom Economic Partnership Agreement, in March 2021.