Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many Scottish based small and medium sized enterprises were invited to take part in the Prime Minister's trade visit to China in January 2018.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department of International Trade worked alongside colleagues from across the UK and its devolved administrations to identify companies to join the Prime Minister’s business delegation. This process included wide consultation with our counterpart, Scottish Development International.
Each of the nine English regions and the three devolved administrations were represented in the 50-strong delegation, including two Scottish based small and medium-sized enterprises – the Scotch Whisky Association and NPL Group. One large Scottish company, Standard Life Aberdeen, was also represented on the delegation.
In total, three small and medium-sized companies and two large Scottish companies were invited to participate in the visit.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Bromborough)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to promote UK automotive exports to the international market.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for International Trade (DIT) is actively engaged in promoting UK automotive exports globally, making full use of our teams in the UK and at posts overseas including in our current priority markets: the USA, China, Germany, Central/Eastern Europe, Mexico and India. We help companies win export business through participation in overseas missions and events, including through the Tradeshow Access Programme. Recent examples include the Prime Minister’s mission to China where we supported a number of UK automotive companies, and a low-carbon vehicle mission to the USA and Mexico. We promote UK automotive industry excellence through the Great international trade campaign. We also provide competitive financial support through UK Export Finance, helping exporters and tier-one suppliers to trade internationally. Global demand for UK automotive products is strong and this Department is helping to ensure our automotive businesses take full advantage.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the value was of trade deals agreed by Scottish-based businesses which took part in the January 2018 trade visit to China by the Prime Minister.
Answered by Graham Stuart
During the Prime Minister’s visit to China over £9 billion in deals were announced including three Scottish-Chinese commercial agreements:
Details of these deals are commercially confidential.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many Scottish companies which had not previously taken part in a trade mission were invited on the last trade visit to China in 2017.
Answered by Graham Stuart
All UK companies, including those located or operating in Scotland, are able to access the Department for International Trade's (DIT) national events and missions programme. This is viewable on great.gov.uk which is promoted nationally.
The most recent trade mission to China in 2017 was for the Airports sector and ran from 27th _ 30th November. One Scottish company took part in this trade mission. They have received ongoing support from DIT.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has taken to promote tourism in the UK.
Answered by Michael Ellis
VisitBritain and VisitEngland are responsible for promoting the UK as a tourist destination, through a range of different initiatives and campaigns. VisitBritain receive grant-in-aid totalling £19.4m from DCMS and VisitEngland receive £7m. They also receive £22.8m of GREAT funding to support promotion activities. For every £1 the Government has invested in VisitBritain for international marketing, an overseas visitor spends £20 in Britain.
These include the £40m Discover England Fund, which is targeted at developing high quality tourism products across England. The “Make Great Memories in England’s National Parks” that targets the Australian and German markets is one project from this fund.
Additionally, in 2017 VisitBritain participated in travel trade missions across the world such as Destination Britain: China, the World Travel Market, World Routes and Destination Britain: North America. They also hold a variety of domestic promotion events throughout the country.
Asked by: Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trade missions were undertaken by ministers in 2017; and what was the destination of each mission.
Answered by Baroness Fairhead
The Department for International Trade undertook 139 trade missions outside of the United Kingdom in 2017, in 43 countries as follows:
Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ethiopia, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vietnam, and Zambia.
Of these missions, eight were supported by the Department’s Ministers, in eight countries as follows:
Ethiopia, Uganda (Secretary of State for International Trade, Rt Hon Liam Fox)
China (Minister of State for Trade & Export Promotion, Baroness Fairhead)
Spain, United States (Minister of State for Trade Policy, Rt. Hon Greg Hands)
France, Germany, India (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Investment, Mark Garnier)
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the Government's strategy is for increasing education exports by 2020.
Answered by Mark Garnier - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Work and Pensions)
The Department for International Trade's education team work together with the Devolved Administrations, other government departments, our Trade Envoys, Business Ambassadors, our embassies and consulates around the world. They seek out new export opportunities and support the UK education supply chain through actively making representations to overseas buyers and governments, organising key meetings and missions showcasing UK products. Particular campaigns are focussed on China, Hong Kong, the Middle East, ASEAN and Latin America. UK Export Finance, the UK's export credit agency, offers finance and insurance to help UK-based companies of all sizes and across all sectors (including the education sector) win, fulfil and get paid for overseas sales.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps she has taken to support and develop the export potential of UK dairy through the Dairy Exports Strategy.
Answered by George Eustice
There is great global demand for quality British dairy products and we are working to maximise this opportunity by opening up new markets around the world. Eight dairy companies accompanied the Secretary of State on a trade mission to China in November, and next month a Chinese dairy delegation is visiting to discuss opportunities for investment in our domestic industry.
Further trade missions are planned over the coming months to the US, Japan and China. Together with UKTI we will continue to promote our fantastic British dairy brand.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is being done to support British pig farmers who are affected by Russia’s ban on European food imports and cheap imports into the UK.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
I recognise that many UK pig producers are struggling with a very tough period of low prices. The Government is providing support through our reforms to tax averaging. We also supported the activation of private storage aid on 4 January to remove pigmeat temporarily from the EU market.
We are working with the industry to open up new market opportunities at home and abroad. China offers huge potential for the future of the food and farming industry. Since 2010, British food and drink exports to China have more than doubled to £280 million, the fastest-growing of which are dairy products, pork, beer and tea. 2016 will be the Year of GREAT British Food, opening a long-term campaign of trade missions and events in the UK that showcase British products and help farm businesses to grow and thrive.
Defra secured a deal in principle for trade in trotters during the Secretary of State's recent visit to China and the underpinning detailed arrangements are being finalised.
Asked by: Lord Campbell of Pittenweem (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) UK embassies, and (2) UK consular offices, have been closed since 6 May 2010, and where those closures took place.
Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), has not closed any Embassies over this period. Operations were suspended in Tehran, Damascus, Tripoli and Sana’a for security reasons. Tehran re-opened in August 2015.
The FCO currently has 268 posts (Embassies, Consulates-General, Consulates, Multilateral Missions and Trade and Investment Offices – Consular Offices are not classed as posts) worldwide. Since 2010 we have opened nine posts: in Juba (South Sudan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), San Salvador (El Salvador), Seattle (USA), Vientiane (Laos), Mogadishu (Somalia), Port au Prince (Haiti), Asuncion (Paraguay) and Wuhan (China). We have also upgraded eight posts: in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Calgary (Canada), Monrovia (Liberia), Recife (Brazil), Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad (India).
Since 2010, we have closed the following Consulates and Consular Offices in Europe and elsewhere:
2010: One: Consulate-General Geneva, Switzerland
2011: Three: Consulate-General Lille, France; Consulate-General Venice, Italy; Consulate Florence, Italy
2012: Three: Consulate-General Basra, Iraq; Consulate Funchal, Portugal; Consular Office Oporto, Portugal
2013: Four: Consulate Pattaya, Thailand; Consular Office, Thessaloniki, Greece; Consular Office, Andorra; Consular Office Willemstad, Curaçao
2014: Two: Consular Offices in Cali and Cartagena, Colombia. The FCO also withdrew its Provincial Reconstruction Team from Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan
2015: Two: Consulate Chiang Mai, Thailand; Consular Office Bodrum, Turkey.
The FCO downgraded the following Consulates-General and Consulates to Trade and Investment Offices since 2010:
2012: Two: Consulate-General Lyon, France; Consulate Naples, Italy
2014: One: Consulate Bilbao, Spain.
Since 2010, we have developed new technology and new ways of working that has enabled us to deliver services differently in some areas. We now have three Consular Contact Centres that take calls from all consular customers, and are able to support around 80 per cent of those calling without further escalation to post, helping to ensure that Consular staff in-country are able to focus their time on those most in need of help. Some services have also been centralised, with customers able to access them by post, and increasingly through digital channels.