Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when her Department most recently reviewed the adequacy of audit arrangements for recipients of UK export finance.
Answered by Conor Burns
UK Export Finance (UKEF) is aware of its obligations to protect taxpayer money from involvement in corrupt activity, but UKEF is not an auditor. UKEF does require as part of its contractual rights, a right to inspect the records of any recipient of support. These rights of inspection would generally be exercised on a sampling basis, but also, if specific knowledge requires, they can be performed at any time.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government pursues any export credit guarantees in relation to IMS Ltd’s operations in Iran as sovereign debt.
Answered by Conor Burns
UK Export Finance (UKEF) is seeking recoveries in respect of claims paid in relation to insurance it provided to IMS Ltd for an export contract with the Iranian defence ministry in the late 1970s.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether any export credit guarantees relating to Iran have been written off in the past 10 years.
Answered by Graham Stuart
In relation to export credit guarantee instalments that have fallen due in the past ten years, Iran has repaid principal and contractual interest in full. In alignment with other export credit agencies, UK Export Finance (UKEF) has written off default interest. UKEF does not have any outstanding export credit guarantees relating to Iran at present.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether there are any outstanding export credit guarantees relating to Iran.
Answered by Graham Stuart
In relation to export credit guarantee instalments that have fallen due in the past ten years, Iran has repaid principal and contractual interest in full. In alignment with other export credit agencies, UK Export Finance (UKEF) has written off default interest. UKEF does not have any outstanding export credit guarantees relating to Iran at present.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the process for investigation of alleged breaches of the Special Adviser Code of Conduct is.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The responsibility for the conduct of Special Advisers, including discipline, rests with the appointing Minister.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many alleged breaches of the Special Advisers’ Code of Conduct by his Department's Special Advisers have been investigated by the Minister responsible for the appointment in the last 12 months.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The department holds no central record of such allegations. The conduct of all civil servants, including special advisers, is taken very seriously. Special advisers act in accordance with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct, which includes clear guidance on appropriate conduct in public life. The Code can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-advisers-code-of-conduct
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many times he has used Chevening House for (a) departmental and (b) personal purposes since taking office; and if he will outline the duration of each such use.
Answered by George Hollingbery
Chevening House is not funded by the Government and is the responsibility of its trustees. The Prime Minister decides who occupies the building. It is currently shared by the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and the Secretary of State for International Trade.
Since his appointment in July 2016, the Secretary of State for International Trade has used Chevening House on three occasions for Departmental use, as outlined below:
19th October 2017 (one day)
7th June 2018 (one day)
11th October 2018 (one day)
The Secretary of State for International Trade has not used Chevening House for personal purposes since taking office.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much his Department has spent on promoted content on (a) Twitter, (b) Facebook and (c) Instagram in each month since June 2017.
Answered by George Hollingbery
Digital advertising is a cost-effective way for the government to share important information the public needs to be aware of.
The Department for International Trade (DIT) buys media space through its appointed media buying agency, Carat. Carat data shows that the department has purchased media space to the value of £333,165 with these platforms since June 2017, which amounts to approximately 0.1% of overall annual communications spend across Government this year. Ad hoc spend may not be included in this amount.
DIT uses these platforms and other social media channels to communicate with specific target audiences on government approved campaigns.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to UK Defence and Security Export Statistics for 2016, how much of the £5.9 billion that the UK exported, based on orders, was paid for by the Government of Iran.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The DIT Defence and Security Organisation recorded no new orders of defence exports to Iran in 2016 as the sale, supply, transfer or export to Iran, of all military goods and technology as listed in the UK Military List remain banned under the proliferation-related sanctions.