Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will make it her Department's policy to protect the Protected Geographical Indicative Status of Scotch Whisky in future trade negotiations.
Answered by Conor Burns
The UK government recognises the economic and cultural importance of Geographical Indications (GIs), including Scotch Whisky, and remains committed to ensuring consistent protection.
Work is on-going with global trading partners to transition EU free trade agreements and other sectoral agreements including obligations on the recognition and protection of GIs. Department for International Trade officials have been working very closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which leads on geographical indications, to ensure that trade negotiations reflect the importance of GIs to the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to encourage investment in the oil and gas industry in the (a) UK and (b) north east of Scotland.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is committed to encouraging investment in the oil and gas industry across the whole of the UK, building on previous incentives such as tax reduction and funding support.
It awarded the Oil & Gas Authority a £5 million fund for 2018/19 to survey under-explored areas of the UK Continental Shelf to find potential new deposits. The successful award of licences for the UK’s Frontier 31st Offshore Licensing Round announced in June was supported by data from the Government-Funded Seismic Programme.
The Oil & Gas Technology Centre, backed by both the UK and Scottish governments, today has more than £100 million co-invested with industry to develop and deploy technology, helping anchor the industry’s expert engineering supply chain in the North East. In May, the government backed industry plans for a Global Underwater Engineering Hub in Aberdeen to reinforce the UK’s status as a global leader in the field and build on expertise in subsea robotics, remotely-operated underwater vehicles and maritime support vessels. This will strengthen Aberdeen’s place as an energy hub for offshore and renewables, boosting prospects for new skilled jobs and further investment in the region.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the role of Highland Games and Highland Gatherings in promoting Scottish exports.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for International Trade (DIT) recognises the importance of Highland activities in Scottish export promotion. DIT officials will attend the Highland Games events this year to assess what more we can do to support associated businesses. The Exporting is GREAT campaign works with businesses from across the Highlands providing export support through online services at great.gov.uk, the E-Exporting programme, and through UK Export Finance. We will continue to identify activities across Scotland to promote the strength of local exports. Last year, Scottish goods exports totalled £28.8bn, an increase of 19.2%.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the level of potential exports of floating offshore wind power technology in the next five years.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The global offshore market is a significant opportunity for UK companies.
The Department for International Trade works with key UK suppliers, foreign Governments, sector focussed trade associations and procuring authorities to increase exports in the offshore wind sector.
In addition, UK Export Finance (UKEF) support is available for UK exporters throughout the renewable energy sector and welcomes new applications for support. Since 2015, UKEF has provided support on contracts worth over £200m to UK exporters in the offshore renewable energy sector.