Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the reliability of allegations that third party countries have been re-stamping steel products from Russia and Belarus for import into the UK market.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Over £20bn of UK-Russia trade is now under sanctions, with a 99.1% reduction in UK goods imports from Russia compared to before the invasion.
The Government is committed to ensuring that third countries are not used by Russia to evade sanctions and takes such allegations seriously. We are working together with our international partners to stop any attempts to circumvent sanctions measures through third party countries. Anyone who directly or indirectly imports prohibited Russian iron or steel products – or facilitates its shipment to other countries from Russia – faces a heavy fine or imprisonment.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to amend Section 15 of the Taxation (Cross Border Trade) Act 2018.
Answered by Conor Burns
Budget announced that the government will legislate to amend section 15 of the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018 via the Finance Bill.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many times he has discussed the issue of US steel tariffs with his US counterpart.
Answered by George Hollingbery
My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has spoken on numerous occasions to the United States Trade Representative and the Secretary of Commerce about the US tariffs. The Government continues to press for a permanent EU exemption from what the Prime Minister has described as an ‘unjustified and deeply disappointing’ decision, and is fully supportive of the EU’s imposition of countermeasures.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
What formal consultations he undertook with the devolved administrations and other stakeholders on the provisions of the Trade Bill before that Bill was published.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met with Scottish and Welsh Government Ministers between publication of the Trade White Paper and introduction of the Trade Bill, and senior officials met their counterparts in Northern Ireland departments.
DIT officials also spoke with each of the devolved administrations and shared draft clauses and explanatory notes prior to publication of the Bill.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
What formal consultations he undertook with the devolved administrations and other stakeholders on the provisions of the Trade Bill before that Bill was published.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met with Scottish and Welsh Government Ministers between publication of the Trade White Paper and introduction of the Trade Bill, and senior officials met their counterparts in Northern Ireland departments.
DIT officials also spoke with each of the devolved administrations and shared draft clauses and explanatory notes prior to publication of the Bill.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what funding his Department has set aside for contingencies relating to the UK leaving the EU in the (a) current and (b) 2018-19 financial year.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Like all departments, the Department of International Trade (DIT) is planning for a number of scenarios to make sure we are ready on Day 1 of EU Exit.
Over £250m of additional funding has been approved across a number of departments in 2017/18 to prepare for Brexit.
DIT has received additional funding this year, and has reprioritised to meet new pressures arising from Brexit preparations.
Additional funding received from the reserve for 2017/8 will be set out at Supplementary Estimates.
The costs of EU Exit in 2018-19 will be affected by negotiations over the coming months.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of the Government's participation in the recent legal action brought by the Campaign Against Arms Trade.
Answered by Mark Garnier
The legal cost of defending this action to the end of June 2017 is £611,538, including VAT.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will list the costs incurred by the Government in the legal case on arms sales to Saudi Arabia brought against it by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade.
Answered by Mark Garnier
The Department for International Trade does not comment on on-going legal matters.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many arms export licences have been granted in the last six months; and what the destination country was of each of those applications.
Answered by Mark Garnier
The Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) on export licences granted and refused on Gov.uk.
They are available to view at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data
Currently this includes information up to 30 September 2016. Information covering 1 October to 31 December 2016 will be published on 19 April 2017 and information covering 1 January to 31 March 2017 will be published on 18 July 2017.