Small Businesses: Trade Barriers

(asked on 20th December 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of any potential barriers that small businesses face when exporting overseas.


Answered by
Andrew Bowie Portrait
Andrew Bowie
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This question was answered on 10th January 2023

Through the Export Strategy, the Department for International Trade is targeting the barriers affecting small-and-medium sized businesses (SMEs) by providing a single point of contact for businesses who export or wish to do so as well as helping them access opportunities in new markets.

As well as negotiating Free Trade Agreement (FTA) chapters, our work on market access includes removing non-tariff barriers. Last year (FY 21-22) we resolved 192 barriers, just 45 of which are estimated to boost UK exports by around £5 billion over the next five years.

Supported by the Export Support Service (ESS), the UK Export Academy, UK Export Finance, our International Trade Advisers and global networks, UK businesses will be supported at every stage in their export journey.

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