Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government of Qatar has received a direct loan from the Direct Lending Facility relating to its purchase of Typhoon and Hawk aircraft and associated equipment and services.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Qatar has not received a loan from UK Export Finance’s Direct Lending Facility although an offer has been made to the Government of Qatar should they opt to utilise it. This has not been used to date. The total value of UK Export Finance’s commitments in support of exports to Qatar is just over £5bn made up from guarantees, direct lending and insurances.
The financing support package for Typhoon and Hawk aircraft includes an offer of a direct loan from UK Export Finance’s Direct Lending Facility. This offer has been made to the Government of Qatar should they opt to utilise it.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government of Qatar has received a direct loan from the Direct Lending Facility; and what the value is of UK Export Finance support to that country.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Qatar has not received a loan from UK Export Finance’s Direct Lending Facility although an offer has been made to the Government of Qatar should they opt to utilise it. This has not been used to date. The total value of UK Export Finance’s commitments in support of exports to Qatar is just over £5bn made up from guarantees, direct lending and insurances.
The financing support package for Typhoon and Hawk aircraft includes an offer of a direct loan from UK Export Finance’s Direct Lending Facility. This offer has been made to the Government of Qatar should they opt to utilise it.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which (a) countries and (b) companies have received finance from the Direct Lending Facility and at what amount in the last 12 months.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Approximately £1.745bn of the £3bn available under UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) Direct Lending Facility has been committed.
UKEF’s £3bn Direct Lending Facility is recyclable, so that when the principal is repaid, it can then be re-lent for other projects in the future.
Where such information is not commercially sensitive, UKEF publishes details of the companies it has supported, the export country, the type of support provided and the amount of support provided on an annual basis in its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) which are presented to Parliament and can be found on UKEF’s website. The most recent ARA covers the Financial Year 2017-18.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-export-finance-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018
Information for the remainder of 2018 will be published in UKEF’s ARA, 2018-19.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the £3 billion available under UK Export Finance's Direct Lending Facility will be replenished as previous loans are repaid.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Approximately £1.745bn of the £3bn available under UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) Direct Lending Facility has been committed.
UKEF’s £3bn Direct Lending Facility is recyclable, so that when the principal is repaid, it can then be re-lent for other projects in the future.
Where such information is not commercially sensitive, UKEF publishes details of the companies it has supported, the export country, the type of support provided and the amount of support provided on an annual basis in its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) which are presented to Parliament and can be found on UKEF’s website. The most recent ARA covers the Financial Year 2017-18.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-export-finance-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018
Information for the remainder of 2018 will be published in UKEF’s ARA, 2018-19.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much of the £3 billion of UK Export Finance available for direct lending has been allocated.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Approximately £1.745bn of the £3bn available under UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) Direct Lending Facility has been committed.
UKEF’s £3bn Direct Lending Facility is recyclable, so that when the principal is repaid, it can then be re-lent for other projects in the future.
Where such information is not commercially sensitive, UKEF publishes details of the companies it has supported, the export country, the type of support provided and the amount of support provided on an annual basis in its Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) which are presented to Parliament and can be found on UKEF’s website. The most recent ARA covers the Financial Year 2017-18.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-export-finance-annual-report-and-accounts-2017-to-2018
Information for the remainder of 2018 will be published in UKEF’s ARA, 2018-19.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the maximum number of full-time equivalent staff employed in trade and export promotion in his Department has been; and what the current complement of such staff is.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The whole of the Department for International Trade (DIT) supports trade and export promotion. As at 31 May 2018, the total workforce currently engaged in delivering DIT objectives in DIT is 3,781. This is the highest it has been since the department was created. This number includes staff working overseas and includes staff working in UK Export Finance.
DIT has recently updated its methodology for reporting on its workforce to be consistent with standard approaches across government.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent progress each of the trade and investment working groups in his Department have made on the UK's future trade relationships with other countries.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have announced several working groups to explore the best ways of progressing our trade and investment relationships. Individual announcements and statements on the progress of working groups will continue to be made available on the department’s website, as and when appropriate.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish any documents pertaining to agreements reached by the Trade and Investment Working Groups.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are committed to scrutiny and engagement that is inclusive, meaningful and transparent, whilst ensuring that we do not undermine or prejudice our negotiating position.
In line with diplomatic practices, it would not be appropriate to take unilateral decisions on disclosing information on engagements with our trading partners. Individual announcements and statements will continue to be made available on the department’s website.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Trade Policy of 17 May 2018, Official Report, column 410, if he will publish the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Southern African Development Community EPA Group.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have agreed a number of joint statements with partner countries setting out our mutual ambition to ensure continuity of trading relations as the UK leaves the EU, and have already published these as they have been agreed. In July 2017, my noble Friend, the then Minister of State for Trade Policy (Lord Price) agreed such a statement of intent with ministers from the Southern African Customs Union. In November 2017, I agreed a similar statement with the CARIFORUM trade ministers and representatives, and also with the East and Southern Africa States in April 2018.
More information can be found in the following links: http://www.sacu.int/docs/pr/2017/pr0719.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-on-trade-between-uk-and-the-cariforum-states
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-on-trade-between-uk-and-the-esa-states
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent North)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Trade Policy of 17 May 2018, Official Report, column 410, if he will publish the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the CARIFORUM states.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have agreed a number of joint statements with partner countries setting out our mutual ambition to ensure continuity of trading relations as the UK leaves the EU, and have already published these as they have been agreed. In July 2017, my noble Friend, the then Minister of State for Trade Policy (Lord Price) agreed such a statement of intent with ministers from the Southern African Customs Union. In November 2017, I agreed a similar statement with the CARIFORUM trade ministers and representatives, and also with the East and Southern Africa States in April 2018.
More information can be found in the following links: http://www.sacu.int/docs/pr/2017/pr0719.pdf
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-on-trade-between-uk-and-the-cariforum-states
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-on-trade-between-uk-and-the-esa-states