Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with her New Zealand counterpart on the compatibility of the proposed Fast-Track Approvals Bill with the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On March 13th, the UK and New Zealand highlighted the importance of our environment commitments at the first ever Environment and Climate Change Sub-Committee under the FTA. The Department for Business and Trade will continue discussions with New Zealand on implementing the Environment Chapter and will monitor the proposed Bill as it develops in New Zealand’s Parliament.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in New Zealand on the potential impact of the proposed Fast-Track Approvals Bill on that country's obligations under the chapter of the UK-New Zealand free trade agreement on the environment.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On March 13th, the UK and New Zealand highlighted the importance of our environment commitments at the first ever Environment and Climate Change Sub-Committee under the FTA. The Department for Business and Trade will continue discussions with New Zealand on implementing the Environment Chapter and will monitor the proposed Bill as it develops in New Zealand’s Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of findings from a recent IDP Connect survey which found that nearly half of prospective students surveyed were reconsidering or unsure of their plans to study in the UK following changes in policy and rules regarding international students.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy while maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year and to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030.
The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has four universities in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running, with 679,970 international students studying at a UK university in 2021/22.
However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb the abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system. The department continues to work closely with the Home Office, the Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on HE providers.
HE providers are autonomous bodies, independent of government. As such, they are responsible for their own admission decisions. The government takes a close interest in ensuring that the HE admissions system is fair and works closely with HE providers and sector bodies to make sure the system works well for students.
Asked by: Lord Sharkey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent data by Enroly published on 27 March which showed that issuance of certificates of Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies has significantly reduced, with overall deposits down by more than a third on the same point in 2023.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy, whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year and to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030.
The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has four universities in the top 10, and 17 in the top 100. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running.
However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system. The department continues to work closely with the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on HE providers.
HE providers are autonomous bodies, independent from government. As such, they are responsible for their own admissions decisions. The government takes a close interest in ensuring that the HE admissions system is fair and works closely with HE providers and sector bodies to make sure the system works well for students.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the export of British luxury cars to Russia via third countries; and whether she has had discussions with industry representatives on this issue.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Department for Business and Trade expects and supports UK businesses to reduce their risk and comply with sanctions. We have spoken with industry stakeholders, who confirmed the sector's commitment to compliance with all sanctions.
Non-compliance with sanctions is a serious offence. HMRC undertakes an investigation into credible allegations of trade sanctions offences. In the most serious cases, breaches may result in referral for consideration of criminal prosecution.
We continue to work to prevent Russia's efforts to circumvent sanctions and recently announced the creation of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of trade sanctions, complementing HMRC's existing powers.
Asked by: Lord Birt (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Johnson of Lainston on 16 April (HL3357), how they reconcile the data mentioned in the Answer with the independent analysis from Goldman Sachs which concluded that the UK's economy is 5 per cent smaller than it would have been if the UK had remained in the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Since the referendum, the UK has grown faster than Germany, Italy, and Japan (Q2 2016 – Q4 2023). The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that between 2024-2029 the UK will see the third fastest growth in the G7. The UK’s relative productivity performance versus the G7 has remained around the average for the rest of the G7, from 2010 to 2022; ahead of Canada, Italy and Japan.
The Department for Business and Trade is focussed on delivering the opportunities through: new trade deals, removing market access barriers, and maximising regulatory freedoms to strengthen the UK economy.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support her Department is providing to businesses in Essex to increase the export of goods and services.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Businesses in Essex and across the UK can access the Department for Business and Trade’s wealth of export support through great.gov.uk. This includes our self-serve digital offer, the Export Support Service, which includes our network of International Trade Advisers, International Markets in overseas regions and the Export Academy.
In addition, British businesses can benefit from access to, and support from, DBT Export Champions, 9 of which are Essex based, like Wilkin & Sons.
UK Export Finance also has a network of export finance managers based all around the country, including one covering Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk.
Asked by: Stephen Doughty (Labour (Co-op) - Cardiff South and Penarth)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many members of staff from the (a) Department for Business and Trade and (b) devolved Administrations are co-located in UK embassies and high commissions in (i) Europe and (ii) North America; and if he will publish a breakdown of those figures by location.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO does not hold the responsibility for reporting on the numbers and location of other government department staff or those from devolved administrations co-located in UK embassies and high commissions. Each government department and devolved administration holds the responsibility to report on their own staff numbers.
Overseas, DBT (Department for Business and Trade) provide expert advice in support of UK exports and investment and the implementation of free trade agreements. DBT play an important role in delivery of HMG international priorities including promoting trade and investment and furthering economic and trade ties.
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential financial impact of trends in the level of enrolments of international students on universities.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The government seeks to ensure that there is a fair and robust migration policy, whilst maintaining the UK’s place as a top destination for the best and brightest students from around the world. The department remains committed to the ambitions set out in the government’s International Education Strategy to host 600,000 international students per year and to increase the value of education exports to £35 billion per year, both by 2030.
The department expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. The UK has four universities in the top ten, and 17 in the top 100, worldwide. The UK has a highly sought after higher education (HE) experience, which is respected by students across the globe. The department is hugely proud to have met its international student recruitment ambition two years running.
However, the level of legal migration remains too high. As a result, on 4 December 2023, the government announced a new package of measures to reduce net migration and curb abuse and exploitation of the country’s immigration system.
The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator of the HE sector in England, continues to work closely with the Home Office, Department for Business and Trade, and other governmental departments to assess the impact of these changes on HE providers.
Universities are autonomous institutions responsible for managing their own budgets. The department also works closely with the OfS to understand the evolving landscape, including on risks relating to international students.
Asked by: Selaine Saxby (Conservative - North Devon)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what purchases her Department made of international carbon credits in the most recent five years for which figures are available; and what the average cost per tonne of CO2 was.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
DESNZ compensates for emissions associated with the flights taken by Ministers and their support staff by purchasing high quality international carbon credits, annually and in arrears.
The Department is close to finalising its first purchase of international carbon credits in respect of emissions from the Department’s creation to the end of last year.
In 2022, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) purchased 151 carbon credits to compensate for the emissions associated with flights taken in 2021 by BEIS Ministers and their support staff. This was at a cost of £1,394.89, making the cost per tonne £9.24.