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 Answer of 26 February 2020 to Question 18647 on Trade Agreements: Negotiations, how many and which countries her Department has held preliminary trade talks with.
Answered by Conor Burns
We have been talking with a range of partners to develop our trading arrangements.
Through the trade working groups established with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, we have laid much of the groundwork to start negotiations for free trade agreements.
We are also continuing our programme to replicate the effects of existing EU trade agreements – by the time we left the EU, we had signed trade continuity agreements with 48 countries.
In addition, we engage with trading partners through our overseas network, discussions with embassies in London, ministerial discussions and visits, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys, and HM Trade Commissioners. This includes with partners such as China, India and Brazil.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what sector-specific steps she is taking to increase the export of UK goods and services to India; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
As outlined by the South Asia regional trade plan, the department connects UK businesses to buyers using sector-specific expertise both in the UK and our overseas network, including experts across our nine teams within our Deputy and High Commissions in India. The team covers all priority sectors, including healthcare and life sciences, digital technology, infrastructure, energy and financial and professional services. Through the UK-India Joint Working Group we are also addressing market access barriers to increase sectoral trade in food and drink, ICT, life sciences, chemicals and services.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What diplomatic steps he has taken to strengthen UK relations with India.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The UK’s bilateral relationship with India is strong and growing. It is broad, covering trade and investment, people-to-people connections, and being a Force for Good in the world. The Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Jaishankar on his first overseas visit, to ASEAN on 1 August, and the Prime Minister met Prime Minister Modi at the G7 in August. They agreed that we should expand ambition of trade relationship as we leave the EU. The Prince of Wales will visit India in November to celebrate the depth and richness of the UK-India relationship.
New rules on post-study work visas announced in October will ensure we attract India’s best and brightest to mutual advantage.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 8 October 2019 to Question 294091 on overseas trade: India, when the Joint Economic Trade Committee met in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019; and if she will publish the papers relating to those meetings.
Answered by Conor Burns
The 12th and 13th UK-India Joint Economic Trade Committee (JETCO) met on the 11th January 2018 and on the 15th July 2019 respectively. Following each JETCO a joint statement has been published between the Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry and the UK Secretary of State for International Trade. The 2018 statement referenced both countries’ commitment to take forward the recommendations of the Joint Trade Review and the 2019 statement celebrated the strength of our strategic economic partnership. Both statements are available to the public on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to increase trade with the Indian state of Gujarat; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Conor Burns
The UK enjoys a strong trade relationship with India. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and India reached over £20bn in the period July 2018 to March 2019. The Department for International Trade promotes UK trade interests through our overseas network. This includes Gujarat State where we have a team based at the Deputy High Commission in Ahmedabad. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade also leads a Joint Economic & Trade Committee in which ministers discuss the removal of market access barriers and means to increasing bilateral trade.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to increase trade with India; and if she will she make a statement.
Answered by Conor Burns
The UK enjoys a strong trade relationship with India. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and India reached over £20bn in the period July 2018 to March 2019. The Department for International Trade promotes UK trade interests through our overseas network. This includes Gujarat State where we have a team based at the Deputy High Commission in Ahmedabad. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade also leads a Joint Economic & Trade Committee in which ministers discuss the removal of market access barriers and means to increasing bilateral trade.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to advance UK trading relations with India post-Brexit.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
India and the UK already enjoy a strong bilateral trading relationship. Last year overall trade grew by 14% to £20.5bn in comparison to 2017.
The UK-India Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) allows for Ministerial discussion on our trade interests with the Indian Government. In 2016, both sides agreed to set up a Joint Working Group on Trade reporting to the JETCO with a specific aim of addressing non-tariff trade barriers. Excellent progress is being made in unlocking barriers in specific sectors. We are exploring the expansion of this work, laying the groundwork for an ambitious trading relationship with India in the future.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
What steps he is taking to increase the UK's proportion of global trade with India.
Answered by Graham Stuart
Exports to India were up nearly 20% in 2018 on the previous year, totalling over £7.9 billion.
We have a number of initiatives to strengthen our bilateral trade relationship with India, including the Joint Working Group on Trade, which recently met in March.
Only last night I was at the Grant Thornton tracker event with the Confederation of Indian Industry, to celebrate the success of some of the top Indian companies in the UK.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Labour - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans he has to increase trade between the UK and India.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for International Trade is already working to increase trade between the UK and India and strengthen our trade partnership. Our productive collaboration with the Government of India through ministerial JETCO meetings and the official-led Joint Working Group on Trade is continuing to make progress in unblocking market access barriers, building on the UK-India Joint Trade Review. The appointment of Crispin Simon, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner, provides a joined-up and coordinated government effort, with increased focus on tackling market access barriers to grow bilateral trade. Trade continues to grow, in 2018 UK-India overall trade increased by 14% to £20.5bn in comparison to 2017.
Asked by: Keith Vaz (Labour - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support for funding is available to international students from (a) India and (b) China to study at UK universities.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Overseas students and staff make an important contribution to our universities and it is testament to our system that so many international students choose to come and study here.
The government welcomes international students and we actively promote study in the UK through the GREAT Campaign and to over 100 countries through the British Council. The government also announced on 21 January that the Department for Education and the Department for International Trade will produce an international education strategy in early 2019. The strategy will set out the government’s ambition for international education, in which international students play a key role.
Chevening is the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s flagship international scholarship programme offering fully funded post-graduate study to exceptional future leaders from around the world. This year we have 1790 scholars from across 140 countries, including 75 from China and 57 from India. There are also various scholarships offered by a number of UK institutions.
The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK awards scholarships and fellowships to Commonwealth citizens for postgraduate study and professional development. In 2018/19, the CSC is supporting some 798 students to study in the UK, of which 83 are from India.