Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department for International Trade (DIT) supports our Disability Network by delivering against shared priorities in the Inclusion Framework, focusing on recruitment, building capability and raising awareness.
DIT and UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) level three (the highest level) Disability Confident accreditation was reaccredited in December 2020 and February 2021 respectively. To maintain the level 3 accreditation, DIT has developed Disability Confident training which is currently being rolled out.
DIT and UKEF have workplace adjustment policies and have access to the Civil Service Workplace Adjustment Service (CSWAS), an Occupational Health provider and an in-house advisory team to ensure timely end-to-end support.
The Department’s policies promote flexible working patterns (including Hybrid Working) to support individual needs, including disability-related adjustments and workplace adjustment passports.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
What discussions she has had with UK trade partners on maintaining environmental protection standards in trade agreements.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government is committed to meeting its ambitious environmental objectives, as we demonstrated last year by becoming the first major country to enshrine our Net Zero commitment into legislation.
We're?exploring?environmental provisions?in the design of our Free Trade Agreements to secure Britain’s high environmental standards.?Of course, the precise details of free trade agreements are a matter for?the?formal?negotiations. We will lay the full treaty text before Parliament at the end of the negotiations to enable proper scrutiny.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reasons she invited a delegation from Hong Kong to the Defence and Security Equipment International arms fair; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The reason any country is invited to the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition is because it brings together manufacturers of defence and security equipment and prospective purchasers. It provides an opportunity for UK industry to demonstrate the wide range of products to potential overseas customers.
Hong Kong has recently confirmed that it is not attending.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department holds information on the socio-economic background of people appointed to senior positions in his Department.
Answered by George Hollingbery
The Department for International Trade does not currently hold any information on the socio-economic background of people appointed to senior positions within the Department.
The Civil Service is currently looking at the best way to start implementing the measures published earlier in June across Government Departments, to better understand the background of people appointed in senior positions.
The Government is committed to social mobility, and we are committed to creating an organisation in which everybody can thrive.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that arms sold to the Government of Sri Lanka are not used to perpetrate human rights violations in that country.
Answered by Graham Stuart
I refer the Hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford to the answer I gave to my Hon. Friend for Welwyn Hatfield on 23 January 2018, UIN: 124349