Correspondence Dec. 13 2023
Committee: European Scrutiny CommitteeFound: The Rt Hon. the Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton Foreign, Commonwealth Secretary of State for Foreign
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a (a) Minister and (b) delegation from his Department will attend the Commonwealth Trade and Investment Forum in September 2023.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are still awaiting a formal invitation for Ministerial attendance. However, on current plans officials from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will attend the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) Summit in Bangladesh.
The FCDO and DBT continue to work closely with CWEIC to further strengthen intra-Commonwealth trade and investment - particularly following the Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in June, where members agreed ambitious objectives to boost support for trade digitalisation and inward investment ahead of CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) in 2024 in Samoa.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what diplomatic steps he is taking to prevent businesses from evading sanctions by exporting goods to Russia via third countries.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Working closely with G7 partners, we have stepped up our engagement with third countries to support them to tackle circumvention of UK sanctions. We have sent joint delegations to UAE, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, and Armenia, to highlight risks and offer technical support to government and business.
The UK Government supports businesses domestically to tackle sanctions evasion, including by publishing guidance for exporters and by publishing the "Common High Priority Items List" of goods critical to Russia's military. HMG is also standing up the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation, which will boost the enforcement and implementation of UK trade sanctions.
Apr. 30 2024
Source Page: Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Guatemala and non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Honduras: Juliana CorreaFound: CURRICULUM VITAE Full name: Juliana Correa Date Role 2019 to present Mexico City, Director Trade
Asked by: Jane Hunt (Conservative - Loughborough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether a (a) Minister and (b) delegation from her Department will attend the Commonwealth Trade and Investment Forum in September 2023.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
While a formal invitation to the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) Summit in Bangladesh has yet to be received, officials from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) plan to attend while ministerial attendance has yet to be decided. DBT and FCDO and continue to work closely with CWEIC to further strengthen intra-Commonwealth trade and investment – particularly following the Commonwealth Trade Ministers Meeting in June, where members agreed ambitious objectives to boost support for trade digitalisation and inward investment ahead of CHOGM in 2024 in Samoa.
Mentions:
1: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con - Life peer) Priorities would include boosting trade links, which are already worth £10.4 billion; tackling climate - Speech Link
2: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con - Life peer) The most promising avenues are in trade and, particularly, climate change and energy, where the Just - Speech Link
3: Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Con - Life peer) Gambian Foreign Minister this morning, who made the point about how much more democratic and equal the Commonwealth - Speech Link
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many full time equivalent staff are employed solely to process export licence applications as of 12 March 2024; and whether she has plans to review the adequacy of that staffing level.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
As of 12 March 2024, the processing of export licence applications is delivered by 48.61 full-time equivalent (FTE) officials within the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). This comprised 26.5 FTE in the Licensing Unit, 19.61 FTE in the Technical Assessment Unit and 2.5 FTE in the Enforcement Team.
They are supported by teams from the Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office who are also part of the Export Control Joint Unit and who provide advice to DBT on export licence applications.
As export licensing is a demand-led service, ECJU regularly assesses how to organise its resources to enable it to provide the most efficient and effective service and to adapt to changing demands.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the oral evidence by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 9 January 2023, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policy on arms export licences to Israel of the evidence provided by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on whether Israel is complying with international law in its military engagement in Gaza.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which includes Criterion 2, covering respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination as well as respect by that country for international humanitarian law.
Extant licences are kept under careful review and the Business and Trade Secretary has the power to suspend, revoke or amend extant licences as required.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2024 to Question 15936 on Israeli Settlements, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning trade of goods from settlements on the West Bank.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We advise British businesses to bear in mind the UK Government's view on the illegality of settlements under international law when considering their investments and activities in the region. Our position is that only Israeli goods originating from the State of Israel will be covered by the UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Palestinian goods originating from the West Bank and Gaza will continue to benefit from the terms of the UK-Palestinian Authority FTA. Goods originating from Israeli settlements in the West Bank will be covered by neither FTA.