Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to mitigate disruption to UK–Africa supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Department for International Trade is actively monitoring trade restrictions and their impact on supply chains and is working with partner governments in Africa to reduce disruption to them. At the G20, the United Kingdom supported commitment to keeping supply chains open and ensuring that restrictions are proportionate, temporary, and transparent. We have worked with Egypt on the supply of PPE and other medical equipment, and with Tunisia and Morocco so that electronic certificates of origin for goods they import are accepted for the duration of the Covid-19 period, mitigating disruption to UK-Africa supply chains by streamlining the customs process.
HMG is supporting African countries during the Covid-19 crisis through development assistance. This includes a vulnerable supply chains facility and programmes working in partnership with countries to respond to disruptions in global trade and supply chains in several countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, Mozambique and Lesotho.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the government of Gibraltar in dealing with COVID-19; and in particular, whether they are providing advice and access to medical supplies to the government of Gibraltar.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The British Government is working closely with the Overseas Territories, including Gibraltar, to ensure they receive the help that is necessary. This includes procuring medical equipment and support for Gibraltar immediately, including through Military Aid to Civil Authority (MACA), and standing by Gibraltar in the long run as it deals with the impacts of this pandemic.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local civil society organisations funded by the Department for International Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Office or Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programmes in conflict affected contexts will be able to contribute to the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The review will reassess the nation’s place in the world, covering all aspects of international policy from defence to diplomacy and development. Government departments will be expected to engage, collaborate and seek a wide range of inputs from a range of external stakeholders to ensure proper challenge and scrutiny throughout the process.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) members of the public, (2) civil society organisations including think tanks, and (3) peacebuilding and development non-governmental organisations, will be able to contribute to the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The review will engage and collaborate with a range of external stakeholders to ensure proper challenge and scrutiny. We will listen and learn from different voices across society, from the public, academics to international partners. Good practice from previous reviews and strategies will be explored when formulating the right approach.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Integrated Security, Defence and Foreign Policy Review will be conducted; and when it will conclude.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Prime Minister has committed to undertake the deepest review of Britain's security, defence, and foreign policy. The review will examine how we strengthen and prioritise our alliances, diplomacy and development; it will consider all aspects of our defence and security capabilities. An announcement of the timings of the review will be made in due course.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government following the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in April 2018 and the launch of the SheTrades Commonwealth programme in Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria, how many of the 2,300 women entrepreneurs that registered and 518 companies that attended capacity building events have subsequently initiated or expanded their international trade to date; and what monitoring systems are in place for the future assessment of the efficacy of that programme.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The SheTrades Commonwealth programme has now supported 842 women-owned companies at capacity building and training events. To date, 144 of those companies have consequently participated in trade fairs, subsequently reporting £12.4 million worth of export leads.
The programme adheres to the Department for International Development's monitoring and evaluation standards. Key indicators are tracked through a robust results framework to ensure the women entrepreneurs we support are more competitive and improve their access to markets, and that the taxpayer is getting value for money.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in April 2018, what aspects of economic development in Sierra Leone and Malawi have received technical support; and what was the result of any such support.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Since its launch at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2018, the Commonwealth Trade Facilitation Programme has increased the capacity and capability of customs organisations in 18 Commonwealth countries. This in turn facilitates the increase of trade, providing benefits for governments, consumers and producers in these Commonwealth countries. For example:
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in April 2018, what plans there are for the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement to boost intra-Commonwealth trade; what are the expected outcomes of such plans; and when such outcomes are expected to be delivered.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK-funded Commonwealth Trade Facilitation Programme is helping member states implement the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). The two year programme aims to help developing and least developed countries in the Commonwealth adopt faster and more efficient customs procedures that will in turn reduce the cost of doing business and create a more enabling environment for intra-Commonwealth Trade.
While the Commonwealth Trade Facilitation Programme is due to conclude by April 2020, implementation of the TFA will continue for several more years. The Agreement is unique in that it allows developing and least developed countries to set their own timetable for implementing elements of the agreement: developing countries are required to provide definitive dates for implementation by August 2019, and Least Developed Countries by 2022.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in April 2018, when the conclusions of the scoping missions to Eswatini, Tonga and Zambia will be published.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Scoping missions conducted by the Commonwealth Trade Facilitation Programme aim to identify where external technical assistance would enhance member states' capacity to implement the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement. Tailor-made implementation plans have now been developed or are in the process of being developed for seven Commonwealth countries, including Eswatini, Tonga, and Zambia. The outcomes of these audits, assessments and studies are primarily for the use of those governments and are not intended for publication
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to restrictions on developing countries that are members of the East African Customs Union to sign reciprocal trade agreements with the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit; and whether they intend to extend the current duty free and quota free access to UK markets to mitigate any potential losses to such countries as a result of a no-deal Brexit.
Answered by Baroness Fairhead
The UK continues to support the implementation of the EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the East Africa Community (EAC). As and when EAC partners find a way to agree to sign the EPA, the UK will seek to replicate this agreement.
As the UK leaves the EU, we want to avoid disruption to trade with EAC partners as far as possible. The Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Act enables the UK to put in place a UK trade preferences scheme for developing countries. This will grant duty-free quota-free access to UK markets for Least Developed Countries including Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan, while providing generous tariff reductions for other developing countries including Kenya.