Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of seeking the establishment of a role for Parliament in overseeing the work of the trade working groups.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK remains committed to a transparent, fair, and rules-based approach to international trade. The Government will continue to respect the role of Parliament, as it designs its future trade policy and will bring forward proposals on the role of Parliament and others in due course.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish a list of the (a) dates and (b) attendees of each meeting of each trade working group.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have established several working groups with trading partners to explore the best ways of progressing our trade and investment relationships.
In line with diplomatic practices, it would not be appropriate to take unilateral decisions on disclosing detailed information on engagements with our trading partners. Individual announcements and statements are available on the department’s website.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had on future trade agreements with (a) China and (b) India.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The UK is preparing to strengthen its trade ties with international partners, including China and India post EU-exit.
The UK and China are launching a Joint Trade and Investment Review to explore options to enhance their trade and investment relationship, without pre-judging outcomes. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade, has visited China three times in 2018 to discuss our ambition for a strong trade partnership.
The UK-India Joint Trade Review, announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to India in 2016, has helped us better understand the UK-India trade relationship. In April, both Prime Ministers agreed to forge a new trade partnership, to take forward recommendations from the Review. My Rt Hon. Friend also visited India shortly after the Department for International Trade was formed.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As part of EU Parliamentary Scrutiny awareness raising and training across the department, the EU Trade Policy team have held internal training sessions on EU Parliamentary Scrutiny. Events were open to all grades of staff including fast streamers. Approximately 30 staff attended each of the sessions.
The Department for International Trade also offers a range of training sessions on the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament to all members of staff. This has included specific training on secondary legislation processes as part of a ‘Secondary Legislation Awareness Week’ in February 2018, and other sessions that were included in Parliament Week in November 2017. The Department offers training as part of its ‘Delivering for Ministers’ programme and delivers bespoke training for teams on request.
Detailed records of attendance at training sessions on parliament are not held centrally by the department, but over 300 people have attended such sessions since the Department’s formation in July 2016. Attendance has not been broken down by grade.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for International Trade (DIT) supports the whole of the UK, and we are committed to enabling our staff to meet our objective to support trade and investment in every part of the United Kingdom.
DIT engages with the Cabinet Office’s Devolution and You programme which aims to build awareness of devolution and improve intergovernmental working through shared learning and knowledge exchange. For example, in recent weeks ten DIT senior civil servants attended a devolution workshop, with several more already signed up for a second workshop taking place in June. Fast Streamers can avail themselves of the training available for all staff. A DIT delegation participated in UK Government Interchange Week in 2017, and the Department hosted participants during the Interchange Week which took place earlier this year.
In addition, DIT runs its own learning initiatives, for example during Devolution Learning Week, and is in the process of planning activity for this year’s event. DIT’s devolution strategy team provides advice on devolution for effective policy making and engagement.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what translation arrangements his Department has put in place to enable efficient and accurate handling of Welsh language correspondence from (a) MPs and (b) the general public.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
To date, the department has not received any correspondence in welsh. However, we are committed to dealing with all correspondence efficiently and accurately and would seek advice from the Wales Office on a case by case basis to handle Welsh language correspondence from MPs and the general public.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how much his Department plans to spend on projects relating to the UK leaving the EU in the next five years; and if he will list the projects to which that funding has been assigned.
Answered by Graham Stuart
HM Treasury has already allocated departments nearly £700 million to prepare for Brexit: £412m for DIT, FCO and DExEU over the parliament at Autumn Statement 2016 and nearly £300m across a number of departments from the Reserve in 17/18 - we received £58.5m of this funding in total in 16-17 and 17-18.
At Autumn Budget 2017 HM Treasury made another £3bn of additional funding available over 18/19 and 19/20 – £1.5bn in each year. We are currently working with HM Treasury to determine our allocation for 18/19 with the aim to agree this soon.
Departmental allocations for 19/20 will be agreed later on in the year and decisions on funding in 20/21 and beyond will be decided at the next Spending Review. This is because requirements in these years will be heavily affected by what is agreed in our negotiations with the EU.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when he last met his counterpart at the (a) National Assembly for Wales and (b) Scottish Parliament; and if he will publish the agenda of those meetings.
Answered by Mark Garnier
DIT Ministers and officials engage with the Devolved Administrations in a variety of ways, including having given evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which of his Department's online services are available in the Welsh language only on request.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the needs of Welsh language speakers are recognised and met, in accordance with the requirements of departmental Welsh Language Schemes.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the potential number of Acts or parts of Acts that will be subject to repeal as a result of provisions in the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for International Trade has been analysing the UK statute book and directly applicable EU law in its area of responsibility to enable an assessment of the scale of the changes needed. This is likely to include the repeal, but also the amendment, of provisions in Acts but we are not in a position to give a sense of scale at this time.
In the Government White Paper on the Repeal Bill [‘Legislating for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union’], published on 30 March 2017, the Department for Exiting the European Union estimated around 800 - 1,000 EU-exit related Statutory Instruments will be required.