Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has taken recent steps to facilitate bilateral trade with North Macedonia.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Bilateral trade between the UK and North Macedonia was worth a total of £2.5 billion in the 4 quarters to end of Q4 2023, comprising of £1.7bn of exports and £787 million of imports. North Macedonia is the UK’s largest trading partner in the Western Balkans. The UK’s trade relationship is underpinned by the Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement (PTCA), signed in 2020. The inaugural PTCA Joint Committee met in 2022 and we hope to convene the second version later this year. In September 2023, the UK launched the British-Macedonian Business Chamber, as a symbol of the growing trade & investment partnership.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
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 ensure the Export Control Joint Unit reviews urgent trade sanctions license applications in a timely manner.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In making decisions on whether to grant a licence to permit something otherwise prohibited by sanctions legislation & regulations, the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU), comprised of subject matter experts and officials in the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Ministry of Defence, acts on behalf of the Secretary of State. ECJU is obligated to consider applications on a case-by-case basis, determining whether granting a licence would be consistent with the stated purposes of the sanctions regime, licensing grounds, and United Nations or international law obligations. When assessing applications ECJU also consults and considers views from a range of other government departments.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to provide support to businesses who are unable to make repayments on their Bounce Back loans.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has always been clear that businesses are expected to make every effort to repay their Bounce Back Loans (BBLs). However, the Government also recognises that some borrowers might require greater flexibility and more time to make their repayments. That is why, for BBLs, the then Chancellor introduced ‘Pay as You Grow’ measures, allowing borrowers to tailor repayments to their individual circumstances. ‘Pay as You Grow’ provides borrowers with a range of options to manage their repayments flexibly. A business facing difficulty making BBLs repayments should contact their lender in the first instance to discuss their options.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has held recent discussions with the (a) agriculture, (b) food standards, and (c) labour rights sectors on a potential trade deal with the US.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK and U.S. are expanding the work we do together across the full spectrum of our economic, technological, commercial and trade relations through the Atlantic Declaration. Discussions with the U.S. on next steps under this first-of-its-kind agreement are ongoing.
Ministers and officials regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders including business groups, civil society and SMEs in both the UK and the U.S. on a range of trade matters.
We will also continue to update Parliament as our work develops. The Department also hosts updates on the Government’s trade agenda. These sessions are open to all MPs.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has made a comparative assessment of standards on pesticides in CPTPP between members states and the UK; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government will not compromise on our high environmental protections and food standards in trade deals. Trade agreements to which we sign up will respect the regulatory autonomy of both the UK and our trading partners, including on pesticides. All agri-food products imported into the UK under existing or future free trade agreements will, as now, have to comply with our import requirements. This applies to the UK’s accession to CPTPP, as it does to our other deals. We will ensure decisions on the use of pesticides are based on careful scientific assessment and will not authorise pesticides that may carry unacceptable risks to people or the environment.