Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for International Trade (DIT) routinely captures and monitors personal information as specified in section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code from candidates and staff to ensure best practice and legal compliance. DIT uses Equality Impact Assessments to examine the impacts of policies and processes on the Department’s workforce and take action to mitigate against any unintended impacts.
The data gathered is shared with trade union representatives where appropriate. Detailed information on the Civil Service workforce is collected and published centrally as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Statistics and can be found on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much of the Internationalisation Fund has been allocated to exporters in 2022-23.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
During the 2022-23 financial year, the Internationalisation Fund has paid £7 million to 1,093 exporters in England as of 20 January 2023.
Asked by: Viscount Waverley (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they use customs data to map market changes over time in (1) quantity, (2) pricing, (3) number of suppliers, and (4) number of importers, for each harmonized system code; and whether they use any artificial intelligence-based solution to do so.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department makes use of customs data to monitor and better understand patterns of demand for imports and exports of goods and is continuously looking at ways improve and integrate complex datasets and techniques further.
The Department also uses customs data from HMRC and UN COMTRADE to analyse trade flows in the context of supply chains. This is done to improve the visibility of UK critical supply chains and inform government resilience strategies. The Department also leads a cross-Government project called the ‘Global Supply Chains Intelligence Pilot’ which aims to combine government and commercial datasets, along with big data analytics, to map global supply chains.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she is taking steps to increase trade between the UK and Nepal.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to driving mutual prosperity between the UK and Nepal, enabling UK businesses to take full advantage of Nepal’s high growth sectors such as renewable energy, education and retail. Officials have worked with colleagues in country to remove barriers to trade, such as the recent lifting of import restrictions on luxury goods, and the removal of a lock-in period for foreign funds investing in Nepal. In January the Department for International Trade supported a Clean Growth and Infrastructure event in Kathmandu for industry and Government, focusing on improving standards and regulations for the sector.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether their Department has purchased mobile UV virus irradiation units.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department has not purchased any mobile UV virus irradiation units.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to increase trade between Somalia and the UK.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
My Department will introduce the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) in early 2023, which will facilitate Somalia’s integration into global supply chains through reformed rules of origin and allow 99% of goods exported from Somalia duty-free access to UK markets.
The Department for International Trade’s Export Support Service also provides specialist overseas support to small-and-medium-sized UK businesses looking to export and grow in Africa, including Somalia.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they are making in regard to a free trade agreement with India.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On 12-13 December 2022 the Secretary of State for International Trade visited India to meet the Minister for Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, and to initiate the sixth round of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement negotiations. A written ministerial statement on the latest negotiation round can be found here.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she had discussions at the World Economic Forum on restoration of the WTO rules-based trade regime.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Secretary of State had important discussions at the World Economic Forum on strengthening the multilateral trading system, including by achieving a fully functioning World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system. These included bilateral meetings with the US, European Commission and other allies, a meeting with the WTO Director General, attendance at the Coalition of Trade Ministers on Climate, and a WTO mini-ministerial.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has taken steps to consult with the UK based Indian diaspora during the process of choosing (a) trade envoys and (b) delegations to India; and whether her Department holds a list of Indian diaspora organisations.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK is home to a vibrant Indian diaspora that contributes to the UK’s culture, innovation, and economy.
To help support the growth of UK businesses with trade and investment opportunities in India, including business delegations, the Department for International Trade (DIT) engages with groups such as the UK India Business Council, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the India (Trade and Investment) All Party Parliamentary Group, as well as the relevant teams at the High Commission of India. These organisations engage with a wide range of groups in the UK and India.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department will take to monitor the impact of newly implemented free trade agreements on (a) the climate, (b) labour rights and (c) human rights; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Newly implemented trade agreements provide for institutional mechanisms for compliance monitoring of labour and climate provisions. The Department for International Trade has established independent advisory bodies to monitor compliance and advise on the implementation of climate and labour provisions.