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Written Question
Business: North East
Thursday 14th January 2021

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

What assessment she has made of the effect of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on businesses in North East England that trade internationally.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement is the first free trade agreement the EU has reached based on zero tariffs and quotas and is fantastic news for the North East. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement includes Rules of Origin that frequently exceed what the EU has previously agreed. For example, innovative rules to support trade in electric vehicles will benefit our world-leading car manufacturers including in the North East.


Written Question
UK Export Finance: Renewable Energy
Monday 27th April 2020

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the £2 billion allocated to UK Export Finance’s lending facility to support clean energy announced at Budget 2020, what the criteria for that support will be; what types of support will be offered; and what energy technologies will be eligible for that support.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

UK Export Finance (UKEF) is currently determining eligibility criteria for the new Direct Lending Facility for clean growth solutions which was announced at the Budget in March. UKEF will publish guidance on its website shortly.

The facility will provide fixed-rate loans directly to overseas borrowers to help them finance the purchase of capital goods and/or services from UK exporters and suppliers to support clean growth project internationally up to a value of £200 million per loan.


Written Question
UK Export Finance: Renewable Energy
Monday 27th April 2020

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has to integrate UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) new facility to support clean energy into UKEF's existing energy portfolio to ensure that UKEF energy support is aligned with meeting the Paris Agreement commitment to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) new Direct Lending Facility for clean growth which was announced at the Budget in March will support overseas borrowers to help them finance the purchase of capital goods and/or services from UK exporters and suppliers to support clean growth projects internationally. The eligibility criteria for this new facility are currently being developed but the facility will contribute to supporting overseas countries in transitioning to cleaner energy sources, through renewable, low carbon and green growth solutions. It will complement UKEF’s competitive product range to help ensure no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, while operating at no net-cost to the taxpayer.

In line with all its export credit support, and UK’s international commitments, UKEF will where applicable, conduct environmental, social and human rights due diligence of projects it is asked to support. This applies equally to its existing and new Direct Lending facilities.


Written Question
UK Export Finance: Mozambique
Monday 27th April 2020

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the timeframe is for UK Export Finance to make a decision on whether to support the Category A Mozambique LNG project; and what (a) criteria and (b) methodology UK Export Finance will use to assess the potential direct and indirect (i) social, (ii) local environmental, (iii) climate risks (lifecycle emissions) and (iv) security risks associated with that project.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

There is no set decision timeline for the Mozambique LNG project. UK Export Finance (UKEF), along with other finance parties, will assess timings at each relevant stage of the development of a transaction.

UKEF is committed to high standards of environmental, social and human rights (ESHR) risk management. It rigorously follows the requirements of the OECD Common Approaches and Equator Principles, which set the framework for managing such risks for export credit agencies and international financial institutions. It has a specialist ESHR team that reviews relevant projects prior to UKEF taking a decision. Supported projects are then monitored by the ESHR team throughout the lifetime of UKEF’s support to ensure compliance with these requirements.


Written Question
Liquified Natural Gas: Mozambique
Monday 27th April 2020

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the UK Export Finance Notice of 20 August 2019 on Category A project under consideration: Mozambique LNG project, what assessment the Government has made of (a) that project’s lifetime greenhouse gas emissions and (b) the extent to which UK Government support for that project aligns with the UK’s net zero emissions commitment.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government has published a Category A notice which includes a summary providing an overview of an Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment of the Mozambique LNG project.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/category-a-project-under-consideration-mozambique-lng-project/category-a-project-under-consideration-mozambique-lng-project

UK Export Finance is in the process of undertaking its due diligence of the project including environmental, social and human rights matters.

Individual overseas governments who are signatories to the Paris Agreement make their own decisions as to how they will reduce their national greenhouse gas emissions. However, the Government is committed to working with countries across the world to support their transition towards cleaner energy sources.


Written Question
Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia
Tuesday 8th October 2019

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to her letter dated 16 September 2019 to the Chair of the Committees on Arms Export Controls, how the breaches of the undertaking given to the Court by the Secretary of State in the Order of the Court dated 20 June 2019 took place; and what steps she is taking to ensure no further breaches take place.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

As my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade said in her statement to Parliament on 26th September, as soon as the issue was brought to her attention on the 12th September, she took immediate action:

  • Taking immediate steps to inform the Court and Parliament;
  • Putting in place immediate, interim procedures to make sure the error could not happen again;
  • Instigating a complete and full internal review of all licences granted for Saudi Arabia and its Coalition partners since 20 June;
  • The Permanent Secretary commissioned, on her behalf, a full independent investigation.

This investigation will: (i) establish the precise circumstances in which these licences were granted; (ii) establish whether any other licences have been granted in breach of the Undertaking to the Court or the commitment to Parliament; and (iii) confirm that procedures are in place to ensure that no further such breaches can occur. The Director General Policy Group at the Department for Work and Pensions has been appointed to lead this investigation.

During the course of this investigation, licence applications for Saudi Arabia and its Coalition partners will be referred to a new weekly meeting of senior officials from the Department for International Trade, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence. (Some will have been refused by this point, for example where they fail to meet one or more of the Consolidated Criteria.) This meeting will reach a recommendation for Ministers as to whether applications are within the scope of the Undertaking and the Parliamentary Statement, applying a further checklist of questions which are designed to ensure that: (i) current and full information is available to enable an assessment of whether the items in question are for possible use in the conflict in Yemen; and (ii) if there has been any change in circumstances in the conflict in Yemen, this is properly included in the assessment. All recommendations to grant licences for the export of items to Saudi Arabia and its Coalition partners will now be referred to Ministers for decision.


Written Question
Trade Agreements
Friday 15th March 2019

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is his policy to support the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement-style measures in future trade agreements.

Answered by George Hollingbery

We are currently reviewing our trade and investment policy and are considering a wide range of options in the design of future bilateral trade and investment agreements. We have completed four online public consultations on potential future trade agreement negotiations with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and on the UK Government potentially seeking accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). We are now considering the responses.


Written Question
Trade Agreements
Friday 15th March 2019

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is the Government's policy to support future trade agreement which will reduce existing (a) consumer, (b) environmental and (c) animal welfare protections.

Answered by George Hollingbery

When we leave the EU, we will maintain our current domestic levels of protection for consumers, the environment and animal welfare. We will keep our existing UK legislation, and the EU Withdrawal Act will convert EU law into UK law as it applies at the moment of exit.

We are clear that more trade should not come at the expense of the high levels of protection we enjoy in the UK. The UK’s outstanding reputation for quality is what drives demand for UK goods and is key to our long-term prosperity. The government has no intention of harming this reputation.


Written Question
Trade Agreements: Public Sector
Friday 15th March 2019

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is his policy to exclude contracts for the delivery of (a) NHS and social care services and (b) other public services from future trade negotiations after the UK leaves the EU.

Answered by George Hollingbery

I refer the Honourable Friend for Newcastle upon Tyne North to the answer I gave to the Member for Midlothian on 26 February 2019, UIN 224362.


Written Question
Department for International Trade: Staff
Wednesday 23rd May 2018

Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of any decrease in its staffing on its ability to carry out its remit.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for International Trade (DIT) inherited a Spending Review 2015 settlement that requires it to generate efficiencies in its services. The Department is prioritising its work, monitoring staffing and capability and will ensure it can fulfil its responsibilities. DIT will continue to work with the Treasury as it does this.

During the last year the Department has continued to build organisational capability and capacity and has recruited over 900 people from across the Civil Service and externally.