Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the UK's Free Trade Agreement with Japan since 23 October 2020, what assessment she has made of the effect of that agreement on UK (a) small and medium enterprises, (b) financial services, (c) car manufacturers, (d) food safety, (e) animal welfare and (f) digital commerce.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department for International Trade (DIT) published an impact assessment of the long-term effects of UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on 23 October 2020. This included an assessment of the potential impacts on small and medium enterprises, and across sectors – including automotive and financial services – alongside consideration of digital trade provisions. The Government has been clear that we will not compromise on our high food safety standards and animal welfare –CEPA is no exception to this.
DIT has committed to publishing a biennial free trade agreement monitoring report starting in 2023 and a comprehensive evaluation report for CEPA within 5 years of its entry into force. The evaluation report will focus on specific sectors that monitoring suggests may have been particularly affected by the agreement.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what support her Department has provided to its trade representative in Mongolia.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The British Embassy in Ulaanbaatar has a DIT trade team of four who promote UK exports and work to address market access barriers. The team is supported by Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner in Istanbul and by DIT trade specialists in the UK and based in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region of which Mongolia is a part, including UK Export Finance experts.
Your role Trade Envoy to Mongolia is invaluable in helping UK companies to take advantage of business opportunities in market.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential for increasing UK exports to Mongolia; and what discussions she has had with UK trade bodies on export potential to Mongolia.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade discussed bilateral trade with the Mongolian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade in Glasgow on 2 November 2021. However, DIT is not aware of discussions with trade bodies.
As the Mongolian economy returns to growth post covid, there are increasing opportunities for UK exports as a result.
British companies have had particular success with mining equipment and services, machinery, railway infrastructure equipment and vehicles and there is increasing interest in new areas such as food and beverage and renewable energy.
Your role as Trade Envoy to Mongolia is invaluable in helping UK companies to take advantage of these opportunities.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what financial support the Government provides to UK companies who wish to export to Mongolia.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Department for International Trade provides financial support via three measures:
Firstly, UK Export Finance (UKEF), is expanding the broad range of insurance, guarantees and loans to better support the needs of UK exporters backed by HMG’s balance sheet of £2 billion risk appetite in Mongolia.
Secondly, the Internalisation Fund provides match-funded grants to qualifying companies up to £9,000 on a range of export and internationalism activities.
Thirdly, a pilot of the UK Tradeshow Programme will give UK companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, a leg-up to exhibit their products at large tradeshows. Some applicants will receive a grant of up to £4,000 to contribute towards eligible exhibition costs.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what proportion of applications for loans from UKEF to support exports to Mongolia are successful; and what interest rate is applied to those loans.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
In the last eight years, UK Export Finance (UKEF) has received three applications for support for UK exports to Mongolia. After applying its regular due diligence process, UKEF found one (i.e. 33%) of these applications eligible and provided support.
UKEF does not disclose premium rates for reasons of commercial sensitivity.
UKEF has between £1 and £2 billion of market risk appetite available to support exports to Mongolia, and welcomes applications.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department plans to extend an invitation to Mongolian trade representatives to attend trade exhibitions at which UK exports are showcased.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
As Covid restrictions are being lifted in the UK, Department for International Trade Mongolia is planning for a Mongolian trade delegation to visit the UK in June around Hillhead 2022, the UK’s largest quarrying, construction and recycling exhibition, and to the Mines and Money event in November.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the current value is of exports from the UK to Mongolia.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
UK exports to Mongolia totalled £342 million in the year ending September 2021.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assistance her Department provides to the legal sector to support the extension of the provision of services in (a) India and (b) CPTPP countries.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Government is committed to supporting the UK legal sector as we seek new opportunities with global trade partners in Free Trade Agreements, including addressing market access barriers and supporting recognition of professional qualifications. This work aims to open up markets like India, enabling businesses to benefit from the primacy of English law and its reputation for certainty, commerciality and market acceptability.
The Department for International Trade works with a wide range of government departments and stakeholders to promote legal services opportunities, this includes delivering a healthy programme of webinars and events about key markets including Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership members.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the timescale is for the UK's entry into the CPTPP.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
On 28th September, the United Kingdom took the next step towards membership of this important and growing trading group, kicking off the first round of talks with officials from all members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
The United Kingdom has made significant progress towards acceding to the agreement, with discussions on key areas such as e-commerce and procurement. We have an ambitious timeline for British accession to CPTPP and hope to conclude negotiations by the end of 2022.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps are being taken to (a) reduce reliance on China for the manufacture of system-critical components for UK national infrastructure projects and (b) source those components instead from members of The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Integrated Review identifies ‘strengthening supply chain resilience of critical goods and raw materials” as one of nine areas for action to deliver the government’s ambitions on the Indo-Pacific tilt. Ensuring the resilience of critical global supply chains is a central part of our deeper, longer-term diplomatic engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
Membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership could help diversify our supply chains and increase our economic resilience by deepening our trading links across the region.