Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of (a) support and (b) advice for businesses exporting to the EU.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department supports exporters across the UK, including through overseas posts, great.gov.uk, international events and missions. A Europe Trade Hub provides in-market support to British businesses exporting to European markets, and businesses can also access sector-specific expertise. The Department conducts an independent annual Export Client Survey with c.6000 businesses to assess services: for example, of those using Posts in 2018/19, 73% were satisfied / very satisfied. Additionally, Government is conducting roundtables and webinars to understand UK business needs better. Companies in Wales also receive support from the Welsh Government, in line with devolved responsibilities.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to promote British wool exports.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Trade promotion campaigns in key markets; partnership working with stakeholders, such as the UK Fashion and Textiles Association, at tradeshows, like Premier Vision; leveraging of the DIT’s teams in 110 countries; financing and insurance from UK Export Finance; and the global promotion of the GREAT campaign; are some of the many measures being taken to support British wool exports.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of banning the import of palm oil into the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not propose to ban the import of palm oil. 70% of the UK’s palm oil imports were from sustainable sources in 2019. An import ban on unsustainable palm oil risks substitution with other oils which typically require significantly more land to produce and may lead to greater deforestation. We continue to work with producer countries to tackle the underlying issues of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Last month, the Government tabled a new ‘due diligence’ requirement under the Environment Bill to tackle illegal deforestation.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to prevent the import of unsustainably produced palm oil into the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not propose to ban the import of palm oil. 70% of the UK’s palm oil imports were from sustainable sources in 2019. An import ban on unsustainable palm oil risks substitution with other oils which typically require significantly more land to produce and may lead to greater deforestation. We continue to work with producer countries to tackle the underlying issues of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Last month, the Government tabled a new ‘due diligence’ requirement under the Environment Bill to tackle illegal deforestation.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions her Department has had with UK businesses that are seeking to export hydrogen technology internationally.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Understanding the UK’s hydrogen capability and matching it with relevant high value export opportunities forms part of the work of the Department for International Trade’s Renewable Energy sector team. The Department has been engaging with UK suppliers from within the hydrogen industry, sector specific research centres and UK Government departments to understand the UK capability. UK Export Finance, regional offices and the department’s overseas network are all part of the support offer available.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2020 to Question 744 on Agriculture: Expert Trade Advisory Groups, when the Agri Food Expert Trade Advisory Group last met.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Agri Food Expert Trade Advisory Group is one of the formal engagement mechanisms to allow stakeholders the opportunity to feed into trade policy, ensuring the UK position is well-informed and reflects the interests of the whole of the UK. The Group meets regularly and last met on Wednesday 12 February 2020.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether there is an Expert Trade Advisory Group for agriculture.
Answered by Conor Burns
The Department for International Trade has established a number of cross-government Expert Trade Advisory Groups (ETAGs), including a dedicated Agri Food ETAG set up jointly with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs. ETAGs enable the Government to draw on external knowledge and expertise to ensure that the UK’s trade policy is backed up by evidence at a detailed level.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to increase the import of Ugandan beef into the UK.
Answered by Conor Burns
Uganda is eligible to trade with enhanced access to the UK via the Everything But Arms (EBA) tier of the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences. The EBA tier grants duty-free quota-free market access on all products except arms and ammunitions to all least developed countries (LDCs). The UK will provide the same level of access as the current EU trade preference scheme. The UK’s scheme will come in to effect after the EU transition period, which will encourage imports from developing countries, including Uganda.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of whether not applying tariffs on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the event that the UK leaves the EU without an agreement would be compliant with World Trade Organisation rules.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Government is confident that it is acting within its rights and obligations as a Member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In developing our policy for the Northern Ireland border, alongside WTO rules, we have also had to take into consideration a broader set out of international obligations.
We are confident that the unique social, political and economic circumstances in Northern Ireland justify the temporary measures that the Government is taking, based on existing exceptions under WTO rules.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how his Department plans to consult Parliament in the formulation of trade negotiation mandates.
Answered by George Hollingbery
I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the reply I gave on 4 February to the question asked by the honourable Member for Swansea West (Geraint Davies) (UNI 213161).