Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the WTO General Council decision to extend the deadline for the TRIPS Council to reach agreement on waiving patent protections for covid-19 tests and treatments by six months, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of that decision on (a) the rate of covid-19 infections, (b) the rate of covid-19 related deaths in the global south and (c) the Government's commitments to promote equitable access to vaccines and global health security.
Answered by Greg Hands
The June 2022 WTO TRIPS Decision streamlines existing compulsory licensing processes for COVID-19 vaccines. It does not waive patents. The WTO General Council in December agreed to extend the deadline to determine whether to include therapeutics and diagnostics in this Decision, but no timeline was set.
HM Government recognises that COVID-19 remains a serious challenge and that we need to promote equitable and effective distribution of COVID-19 products. We continue to work with international partners to support and accelerate distribution globally.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) organising and (b) hosting the second Africa Investment Conference.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The cost of the second Africa Investment Conference amounted to £74,450.50. This covered the cost of the event management company required to produce the conference, and the cost of the virtual platform required to host it. This has been paid for from the Department for International Trade’s Africa budget.
With a distinguished line up of over 25 speakers, an audience of over 3,000 and a confident message from the UK’s Africa Investors Group on investing in Africa, the conference represents exceptional value for money and demonstrates why we will look to continue to employ virtual formats in our event toolkit from hereon in.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the (a) level of greenhouse gas emissions that will be generated and (b) impact on the UK’s commitments on climate change as a result of the financial support provided by UK Export Finance to the natural gas project in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.
Answered by Mike Freer
We are unable to provide the information requested because UK Export Finance’s support for the Mozambique LNG project in Cabo Delgado is currently the subject of judicial review proceedings.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that trade deals respect the rights of religious minorities.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief for all. HM Government regularly reports on violations of these freedoms, including in an annual report published by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
We are clear that more trade does not have to come at the expense of rights and responsibilities. We will continue to take a balanced approach with our partners, delivering the best outcome for the United Kingdom, maximising the benefits of trade and upholding our values.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government plans to use public money to fund new overseas fossil fuel projects ahead of COP26.
Answered by Graham Stuart
On 12 December 2020, the Prime Minister announced that the British government will no longer provide any new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas, apart from a small number of tightly-bound exceptions that are still to be determined. Following the conclusion of the public consultation, which closed to submissions on 8 February, the date of implementation of the new policy will be confirmed shortly.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the President of COP26 on the continued use of public money to fund fossil fuel projects overseas.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Secretary of State has not had any meetings with the President of COP26 since his appointment.
On 12 December 2020, the Prime Minister announced that the British government will no longer provide any new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas, apart from a small number of tightly-bound exceptions that are still to be determined. The date of implementation of the new policy will be confirmed shortly.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to her oral contribution of 11 January 2021, Official Report column 72, when she plans to publish details on the emerging markets trade scheme.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Secretary of State referred to an emerging market trade scheme that will improve upon the existing Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) to create new opportunities for trade around the world. HM Government will make an announcement about these improvements to the scheme later this year, following consultation.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the projected emissions are for each fossil fuel project currently under consideration to be funded by UK Export Finance by scope (a) one, (b) two and (c) three.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Until 31st March 2020 it was UK Export Finance (UKEF) policy and practice to collect the estimated annual operational CO2-equivalent (CO2e) Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of projects only where they fall under the scope of the OECD Council Recommendation on Common Approaches for Officially Supported Export Credits and Environmental and Social Due Diligence (OECD Common Approaches) or the Equator Principles, and where they are expected to be in excess of 25 000 tonnes CO2e annually.
Eight of the fossil fuel related cases currently under consideration by UKEF are requests for support through the Export Development Guarantee (EDG). The EDG provides general working capital to support the operations of eligible UK exporters, and is not tied to specific contracts or projects. UKEF does not, therefore, hold information about project-level greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions for these cases.
The estimated emissions for those projects for which UKEF does hold figures are as follows:
Country | Type of project | Scope 1/2 emissions (Tonnes of CO2e/year) | Scope 3 emissions Tonnes of CO2e/year) |
Brazil | Upstream oil and gas | 480,000 | Not available (data not yet collected or estimated by the project) |
Turkmenistan | Compressors for a gas pipeline to a power station | 108,625 | Not available (data not yet collected or estimated by the project) |
Brazil | Upstream oil and gas | 2,088,000 | Not available (data not yet collected or estimated by the project) |
We do not hold project related GHG emissions data relating to trade finance applications.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether any Official Development Assistance was used to fund the hosting of the Africa Investment Conference.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Africa Investment Conference was funded from the Department for International Trade (DIT) Africa core budget, which excludes Official Development Assistance.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many of UKEF’s 17 fossil fuel pipeline projects will reach financial close in the next six months; and where those projects are located.
Answered by Graham Stuart
UK Export Finance (UKEF) is obliged to consider all requests for its support. Those requests can be made, and subsequently withdrawn, at any time.
UKEF is currently considering support for 10 projects involving fossil fuels which may be completed by the end of July 2021. Eight of these are requests for support through UKEF’s Export Development Guarantee (EDG). The EDG provides general working capital to support the operations of eligible exporters, and is not tied to specific contracts.
The two individual projects for which UKEF is considering support are in the following sectors and locations:
Brazil: Oil and gas
Turkmenistan: Compressors for a gas pipeline to a power station
UKEF currently also has 12 applications for trade finance cover in the sector that may be completed by the end of July 2021. These are all related to oil and gas projects, and are located as follows:
Azerbaijan: 2
Belgium: 1
China: 2
Egypt :1
Malaysia: 3
Mozambique: 1
Oman: 1
Qatar: 1
However, the decision whether or not to provide support for any of these projects or applications will also have to take into account the implementation of the new policy announced by the Prime Minister on 12 December. The date of implementation of the new policy will be determined following the consultation that was launched on the same day.