Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help improve trade with Ukraine.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Department for International Trade (DIT) helps British companies enter the Ukrainian market and increase their competitiveness through overseas trade. We also offer professional and personalised assistance to help companies in Ukraine locate and expand in the UK. So far this year DIT has helped British companies deliver more than £40m of export wins in Ukraine. At the same time we ensure that UK companies are aware of the specific business risks which they might encounter when operating in Ukraine. More details are on our website https://www.gov.uk/government/world/organisations/uk-trade-investment-ukraine and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-ukraine.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote trade with Botswana.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
Currently the Department for International Trade (DIT) does not have a dedicated trade promotion resource in Botswana, trade related enquiries are initially supported by colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), namely the High Commissioner, Deputy High Commissioner and FCO Prosperity. However, as trade promotion activity across the whole of Southern Africa is managed regionally, the hub in Johannesburg provides support to post where needed.
A recent example of success is a Thales deal to supply the Botswana government with equipment to help in the fight against illegal wildlife trade. In this case the deal was also supported by DIT’s Defence and Security Organisation (DSO) in London.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote trade with Namibia.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has a dedicated trade promotion officer in Namibia. Trade relations are managed by them with support from colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), namely the High Commissioner and FCO Prosperity colleagues.
Namibia also receives additional support from DIT London through inclusion in our aerospace and infrastructure High Value Export Campaigns.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he has taken to increase UK trade with Georgia.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
Boosting trade ties is at the heart of our relationship with Georgia. My Rt hon Friend the Minister of State for Europe and the Americas led an official delegation to Tbilisi on 24 November as part of the 2016 UK-Georgia ‘Wardrop Dialogue’.
As an integral part of the Dialogue, the British Embassy hosted UK, Georgian and international businesses, including members of the British Business Group and the UK-Georgia Chamber of Commerce, to hear more about the opportunities for trade. The UK also supports the Georgian Government’s plans to further reform the economy and improve the business environment.
The UK is the second largest investor in Georgia, and our trade is increasing: bilateral trade from January-September this year stood at £100 million, a 50% increase compared to the same period last year.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he has taken to increase UK trade with Armenia.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The UK works with the Armenian government to support an improved business climate, increase investor confidence and reduce corruption.
We have lobbied the Armenian government effectively in support of the Open Government Partnership Initiative and funded projects to support its implementation, increasing the effectiveness of public resource management and improving the transparency of their internal audit, tax administration and public procurement systems. Our projects have also supported the launch of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in Armenia, which has the potential to increase Armenia’s GDP growth of 2% per annum. We have promoted the adoption in both the public and private sector in Armenia of the standards set by the Chartered Management Institute. These efforts seek to make business easier between UK and Armenian companies and improve the operating environment for UK businesses in Armenia.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he has taken to increase UK trade with Azerbaijan.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The Department for International Trade (DIT) has designated Azerbaijan as being a High Value Campaign Status country for oil and gas. Correspondingly DIT has undertaken a programme of activities throughout the year including two trade missions to Baku in April and November this year. This oil and gas partnership programme has delivered £700m in export wins this year.
The UK appointed Baroness Emma Nicholson as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan in May 2016. She has visited the market twice in June and November to build relationships and identify new business opportunities for UK companies. The UK has established a Ministerial led Joint Inter-Governmental Commission to assist/enable more trade. The inaugural meeting was held in London in February 2016 with the next meeting due to be held in Baku in February 2017. The priority sectors are oil and gas, education and professional and financial services.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which EU commissioners he has met since taking office; and when and where such meetings took place.
Answered by Greg Hands
My Rt. hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met with the EU Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmström at the European Commission offices in Geneva on September 27.