Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 101496 on Trade Promotion, whether he plans to retain the role of International Trade Adviser as part of the strategic organisational redesign.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are changing how we deliver export support in line with the Trade Strategy, and in response to the asks of businesses and our stakeholders. We aim to make this more accessible and easier to navigate and to use technology to deliver more cost-effective and impactful support.
This change process is ongoing, so we are unable to confirm final job roles at this stage.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of agri-food attachés on the domestic wine sector.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has 16 agri-food attachés across the world who resolve market access barriers and support export growth for the UK agri-food sector, including wine. So far in 2025, the attachés have helped resolve 41 trade barriers, worth nearly £100m in export opportunities for the agri-food sector.
The UK wine sector, as one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors, is an area that continues to attract domestic and foreign investment. UK wine exports increased by 35% in 2024, accounting for 9% of total sales, which shows a growing interest in the product. To support this interest, UK wines are now served in a number of embassies across the world, from Paris to Tokyo, with attachés playing a key role in their promotion. They also help by working across Governments and with industry partners to resolve practical issues that UK companies face when exporting.
In addition to supporting wine export outcomes (their primary focus), attachés also advance broader Defra objectives, including monitoring global wine supply chain risks and contributing to G20 discussions, COP30 and other multilateral engagements.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps are being taken to promote British creative sector exports over the next three years.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Over the next three years, the UK government will boost creative sector exports by increasing trade missions, targeting new and traditional markets, and expanding export finance through UK Export Finance (UKEF). In 2024/25, UKEF provided £14.5 billion in support for UK exports and maintains a nationwide network of export finance managers to advise local businesses. The Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board (CITIB) will be reformed to champion exports, while export promotion will be enhanced through events such as the BFI Film Festival and London Games Festival. The Department also funds the Music Export Growth Scheme which does what its name suggests. Alongside the GREAT campaign, these measures will strengthen the UK’s global creative leadership.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how his Department plans to monitor participation in trade promotion programmes by SMEs in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As outlined in our 2025 UK Trade Strategy, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to the monitoring and evaluation of its performance to ensure continuous improvement.
DBT has developed a robust monitoring and evaluation framework for its existing export promotion activities, and data on participation is published in DBT’s Export Client Quality Survey.
In 2023/24, 17,449 businesses were supported by DBT export promotion services, of which 85% were classified as SMEs. We do not monitor participation by individual constituencies, but would be happy to be advised of any suitable SMEs in Buckingham and Bletchley.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of export opportunities for UK-produced yoghurt following the signing of recent trade agreements.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
The Department for Business and Trade recognises the importance of supporting UK dairy exports, including yoghurt. DBT works closely with industry partners such as the Dairy Export Taskforce and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board to unlock global opportunities.
We have agreed with the EU to deliver a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement that will significantly reduce costs and paperwork for exporting dairy businesses. Under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, tariffs on UK yoghurt and a broader range of dairy exports to Chile are reduced from 6% to 0%, enhancing competitiveness.
DBT helps businesses benefit from Free Trade Agreements through tailored guidance, sector insights, and direct exporter engagement. The Dairy Export Programme provides targeted support via export promotion, market intelligence, and in-market expertise.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support UK film exports, in the context of the announcement of 100% tariffs on films produced in the UK by the US President on 5 May 2025.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
My department has a dedicated exports promotion programme for the film and high-end TV industry, which includes providing export support for businesses at major international film festivals and markets. We work with the UK film and TV sectors to remove market access barriers to enable businesses to increase their exports and use free trade agreements to grow exports.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) targeted relief and (b) export support for the (i) creative and (ii) publishing industries affected by changes to international trade policy.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
My department has a dedicated exports promotion programme for the creative industries to grow their exports. We will continue to use trade and economic partnership agreements to reduce trade barriers for creative industries businesses.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to increase the UK film industry's exports to (a) the EU (b) South America, (c) Asia and the Pacific.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
The Department for Business and Trade has a dedicated exports promotion programme for the film and high-end TV industry, which includes providing export support for businesses at major international film festivals and markets.
We prioritise growth markets, including the EU, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, with an overall objective to increase our global exports footprint. We work with the UK film and TV sectors to remove market access barriers to enable businesses to increase their exports and use free trade agreements to grow exports.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith and Chiswick)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 30065 Trade Promotion: Israel and Occupied Territories, if he will list his department’s current priorities identified for (a) export and (b) investment services in (i) Israel and (ii) the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
Current priorities identified for export and investment services in Israel include infrastructure (construction and energy), healthcare (medicinal and pharmaceutical products), food and drink, financial and professional services.
Priorities for the Occupied Palestinian Territories include cars, tech, food and drink, and financial, professional business, and digital services.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has undertaken an evaluation of the effectiveness of the Trade Commissioners programme since it was established.
Answered by Gareth Thomas
His Majesty’s Trade Commissioners (HMTCs) represent and promote the UK in markets across the world. They lead on export promotion, both inward and outward investment, and trade policy overseas on behalf of His Majesty’s Government (HMG). Their work includes developing regional plans to deliver the Department for Business and Trade’s priorities in global markets and then leading their teams to deliver those priorities.
HMTCs are an important part of the department’s regional leadership rather than a programme, so are not subject to programme evaluation.