Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to support sustainable investment in Southern Africa; and if she will publish a sustainable investment plan for Southern Africa.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK’s Economic Partnership Agreements with southern African countries and the UK Developing Countries Trading Scheme enable trade and promote development. UK Export Finance supports the region with billions of pounds of finance or insurance cover available for projects involving UK suppliers. The Prime Minister has announced that he will host the second UK-African Investment Summit in 2024, which will help UK businesses secure sustainable investment into the region and maintain the UK’s position as the leading investor in Africa.
The Government’s plans for sustainable investment in developing economies is set out in the International Development Strategy.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to take steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide support to smallholder farmers in developing countries to meet the legal requirement to not contribute to deforestation under the Environment Act 2021.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK plays a leading role in supporting global efforts to protect and restore forest landscapes, driving international action to tackle deforestation and ensure forests are sustainably managed. This effort is underpinned by a commitment of £1.5 billion to international forests between 2021 and 2026.
The Government works with both businesses and smallholder farmers to improve sustainable practices and encourage forest-friendly business. The Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use programme (2015-2024) supports the development of new business models which provide jobs and livelihoods while protecting and restoring forests. The programme is implemented through a set of complementary interventions including Partnerships for Forests (P4F) (£120 million), which provides grant funding and technical assistance to catalyse investment into sustainable agriculture and forest management. To date, P4F has mobilised £1.25 billion in private investment into forests, brought 4.5 million hectares of land under sustainable management and directly benefitted over 250,000 people.
The UK’s Mobilising Finance for Forests programme is working to increase private investment in activities that create value from standing forests and/or incorporate forest protection and restoration into sustainable agricultural commodity production. This programme is complementary to P4F, targeting larger and more mature opportunities that will mobilise investment into sustainable land-use at scale.
The UK also supports companies in their transition to sustainable supply chains. The UK is a co-funder of the Tropical Forest Alliance, a public-private initiative hosted by the World Economic Forum which mobilises over 170 companies, governments and NGOs to tackle commodity-driven deforestation.
We also continue to work with consumer and producer country partners in forums such as the Forest, Agriculture, and Commodity and Trade (FACT) Dialogue, which the UK and Indonesia launched together as co-chairs in 2021. The FACT Dialogue convenes 28 major producers and consumers of internationally traded agricultural commodities to agree principles for collaboration and developed a Roadmap of actions which was launched at COP26, to protect forests and other ecosystems while promoting sustainable trade and development, in a way that respects all countries’ interests.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Appeal Court decision in Western Sahara Campaign UK v Secretary of State for International Trade and Anor, what steps she is taking to encourage businesses to explore investment opportunities in the Western Sahara.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
HM Government does not provide legal advice to private companies and individuals in relation to their commercial activities. It is therefore for companies to take their own decisions on whether to do business in Western Sahara, as elsewhere.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with the devolved Administrations on policies to support growth in the (a) digital technology, (b) green, (c) life sciences, (d) advanced manufacturing and (e) creative industries.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
DBT is committed to engagement with the devolved administrations in the development of policies to support businesses across the whole country and across all sectors.
For example, the Minister of State for International Trade chairs the Interministerial Group for Trade, which last met on 7 September 2023, to facilitate discussion with devolved administrations on trade policy priorities. The UK’s trade policies remove barriers, offer increased trade, and support growth for all parts of the UK economy.
DBT recently hosted the Northern Ireland Investment Summit, working closely with officials in the Northern Ireland Executive and Invest Northern Ireland to grow the advanced manufacturing and engineering, technology, financial and professional services, the green economy, and the life and health sciences sectors in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the most recent visit by Lord Johnson of Lainston to the People’s Republic of China, who he met; what he discussed; what response he received to any representations he may have made on the government of China's treatment of the Uyghur minority, threats to Taiwan, and imprisonment of pro-democracy advocates and lawmakers in Hong Kong, including the British citizen Jimmy Lai.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In China, I met businesses and investors. Whilst attending the China International Fair for Trade in Services, I was briefly introduced to the Minister of Commerce and the Party Secretary of Beijing. I expressed support for our trade and investment relationship, where it is consistent with our values and national security.
On 30 August, The Foreign Secretary visited China meeting senior government figures. He emphasised the UK's position on the mass incarceration of the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and raised rights and freedoms in Hong Kong, including the case of Jimmy Lai.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what consideration his Department makes of animal welfare when determining its aid development policies.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The 2022 Strategy for International Development (IDS) set the direction for all of the UK's international development work. It outlines a patient approach and a focused set of priorities that will drive lasting, sustainable, growth, alleviate suffering and tackle the root causes of global crises. We will use all our levers, from our diplomacy to our investment and trade, to deliver our development objectives. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare demonstrates the Government's commitment to animal welfare and how we will deliver on this commitment, both at home and abroad.
Asked by: Miriam Cates (Conservative - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support energy-intensive industries with energy costs.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We are determined to secure the future for our energy intensive industries (EIIs) to protect UK jobs. To strengthen our existing support that has already provided over £2billion since 2013, the Government has announced the British Industry Supercharger to support those most exposed to the costs of electricity. The measures will bring the energy costs of the UK’s energy intensive industries in line with those across the world’s major economies. This is crucial to help these businesses remain internationally competitive and will enhance the UK’s attractiveness as a destination for international investment.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it her policy to require that any free trade agreement with India be conditional on India ratifying conventions (a) 87 and (b) 98 of the International Labour Organisation conventions.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
While we do not comment on live negotiations, our approach to FTA negotiations is to secure provisions that ensure labour standards are not compromised in order to increase trade or investment. An FTA with India will not come at the expense of our worker protections.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with her Indian counterpart on the prospect of India ratifying conventions (a) 87 and (b) 98 of the International Labour Organisation conventions; and whether this would be a prerequisite for any free trade agreement between the UK and India.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
While we do not comment on live negotiations, our approach to FTA negotiations is to secure provisions that ensure labour standards are not compromised in order to increase trade or investment. An FTA with India will not come at the expense of our worker protections.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to encourage consumers to buy British products.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for Business and Trade promotes British goods and services domestically and internationally through its communication and marketing campaigns. Our Made in the UK Sold to the World campaign encourages British companies to grow their business by exporting, and our GREAT Trade and Investment marketing campaign promotes British products and services to international buyers across 9 global regions, each led by a His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner.