All 1 Debates between Alberto Costa and Graham Stuart

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Debate between Alberto Costa and Graham Stuart
Thursday 29th March 2018

(6 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Kevin Foster Portrait Kevin Foster (Torbay) (Con)
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9. What recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of education exports.

Graham Stuart Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade (Graham Stuart)
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The latest statistics, released earlier this year, estimate total UK education exports and transnational education activity to have been £19.3 billion in 2015. That is an increase of 3% on the previous year and of 22% since 2010, in current prices. The Government continue to support education providers in this vital sector.

Alberto Costa Portrait Alberto Costa
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Many small businesses in and around my constituency either need help to begin to export or are already exporting in education and other goods and services. For example, a constituent of mine, Mr John Bowers, owns the company Bowers & Freeman, an SME that specialises in groundbreaking and innovative fasteners for the aerospace industry. What is the Department doing to ensure that SMEs such as Bowers & Freeman get the help that they need, whether in education or other goods and services sectors?

Graham Stuart Portrait Graham Stuart
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UK Export Finance offers competitive finance and insurance to SMEs of all sorts that want to export. My hon. Friend mentions one company in his constituency; I am pleased to say that UKEF recently provided bond support to another, Ram Universal, to help it to export its high-quality valves to India. The Government’s export strategy will look at SMEs’ need and design information and services appropriate to them.