Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many UK-based staff in his Department have been solely focused on relations with Asia Pacific nations in each year since 2010.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data on the detail of individual staff roles and responsibilities is not held centrally.
The publication of the Integrated Review in March 2021 affirmed the UK's increased focus and long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific tilt is a whole of UK Government effort with staff focused on delivering UK objectives across the region, including to strengthen defence, security and trade partnerships, and to and uphold and promote the international rules based system.
A significant and increasing number of FCDO roles in the UK and across the global network, involve an element of China policy. This shift in focus and resource has been underway for a number of years. The FCDO dedicated an additional £3 million in 2020/21 and a further £3 million in 2022/23 to increase our capability on China, including a significantly expanded China Department and new China-related roles in the overseas network.
In addition, the UK continues to increase focus on the region. We have doubled the number of British High Commissions across the Pacific Island Countries over the past three years. The UK now has six High Commissions in the Pacific including: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu.
The UK also opened the UK Mission to ASEAN in 2019 to strengthen UK-ASEAN engagement. Since achieving ASEAN Dialogue Partner Status, the UK Mission to ASEAN has expanded with further roles planned by March 2023. We have also increased resourcing in a number of key Missions including Canberra, Jakarta, and Singapore. Recruitment is underway for new roles across trade, economics, cyber, media/communications, science and technology.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will list the specific benefits that have accrued to (1) the UK music industry, and (2) musicians, as a result of the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
HM Government is working with every sector to seize the economic and political opportunities arising from our departure from the European Union – ensuring that our laws, regulations, and policies are helping to boost growth, drive innovation, and increase the competitiveness of the United Kingdom. We are developing trade deals with priority markets – something we could not do while a member of the European Union – focusing on alleviating trade barriers to enhance the movement of goods, global sales of services, and a forward-thinking intellectual property framework.
We are already delivering on some of the key opportunities for the UK music industry and musicians. Recent analysis shows that the fastest-growing recorded music markets are outside the EU, in Latin America and Asia – driven by the rapid growth of streaming. The Department for International Trade delivers an export programme for music, focusing on these priority markets, with upcoming trade missions to the USA, Australia, India, China and Japan, and the British Music Embassy at ‘South by Southwest’ in Austin, Texas.
The Government recognises that the way musicians work in and with the European Union has changed that now we are no longer a member of it. The Government is committed to supporting the sector to adapt to these new arrangements, and has worked with sector representatives and directly with Member States to clarify what this entails.
In addition, the Government continues to provide export support for the UK’s creative industries through a range of export support programmes, including the successful Music Export Growth Scheme and the International Showcase Fund, designed to introduce successful UK music projects across the globe, in Europe and beyond.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings her Department has had with representatives of the People's Republic of China since 12 January 2021; what was discussed at each of those meetings; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Neither Ministerial colleagues nor officials in London have met with the Chinese administration during this time.
Through the UK’s diplomatic missions in China, there is regular engagement with Chinese government counterparts to support UK trade interests.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of recent trade missions in promoting Scottish exports.
Answered by Alister Jack - Secretary of State for Scotland
In 2018- 2019, DIT organised 88 Ministerial visits to 49 export markets, to strengthen trading relationships, promote the UK as a destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and help grow demand for UK exports. A number of Ministerial Trade Dialogues were also held, including with China, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Taiwan, Turkey and Vietnam.
Additionally, the Prime Minister’s 33 Trade Envoys undertook 55 overseas visits in 2018-19 to 42 different markets, supporting the Government’s overall strategy to drive economic growth.
The benefits of DIT’s activities in this sphere reach across the whole of the UK, including for Scottish businesses. HMRC estimated that over 6,700 businesses exported their goods from Scotland in the first quarter of 2019 - more than ever before. Recent work has also resulted in breaking down trade barriers for British businesses in Japan, following successful work by DIT to lift the ban on British beef and lamb.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much money has been spent on promoting British tourism in (a) Europe, (b) Asia, (c) North America and (d) in total in each year since 2010.
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.
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: 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 Neston)
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.