Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department provides to Fair Trade companies as part of its work to tackle human and labour rights abuses in the global supply chains of UK supermarkets.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The UK government is a strong supporter of the Fairtrade movement, which plays an important role in helping producers around the world improve their lives through receiving fair prices for their products. Between 2010 and 2018, the Department for International Development invested over £20.2m into Fairtrade and the UK was the first country to produce a National Action Plan for the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
DFID has funded the development of Fairtrace, a technology-based supply chain mapping tool which has helped Fairtrade to broaden their commercial customer base. The tool has been used by major UK businesses such as The Co-op and Ben & Jerry’s. In 2017, Fairtrace helped 7 major brands to map their supply chains; illustrating journeys from over 191 producer groups in over 23 countries.
The UK government will continue to champion this agenda as part of our commitment to improving the lives of smallholder farmers and to a free, fair and transparent trade system that helps lifts developing countries out of poverty.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage businesses throughout the UK to purchase Fairtrade products.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The UK government is a strong supporter of the Fairtrade movement, which plays an important role in helping producers around the world improve their lives through receiving fair prices for their products. Between 2010 and 2018, the Department for International Development invested over £20.2m into Fairtrade.
DFID has funded the development of Fairtrace, a technology-based supply chain mapping tool which has helped Fairtrade to broaden their commercial customer base. The tool has been used by major UK businesses such as The Co-op and Ben & Jerry’s. In 2017, Fairtrace helped 7 major brands to map their supply chains; illustrating journeys from over 191 producer groups in over 23 countries.
The UK government will continue to champion this agenda as part of our commitment to improving the lives of smallholder farmers and to a free, fair and transparent trade system that helps lifts developing countries out of poverty.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the Government’s strategic shift on UK aid on poverty reduction in Africa.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
During her recent visit to Africa, the Prime Minister set out plans for a new long-term UK partnership with African nations. She announced a number of measures to increase the impact and effectiveness of UK aid across Africa, including to help our partners meet the poverty challenges of the future by: harnessing the power of trade, investment and business to create jobs; tackling the causes of extremism, instability and poverty; and addressing opportunities and challenges brought about by climate change and demographic shifts.
Asked by: Preet Kaur Gill (Labour (Co-op) - Birmingham Edgbaston)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the potential for trade policies after the UK has left the EU to support communities in developing countries.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
Trade is a key driver of economic growth.
The UK is committed to ensuring developing countries can reduce poverty through trading opportunities. The Department for International Development and the Department for International Trade are working together to ensure development and global prosperity are at the heart of UK trade and investment policy.
The evidence indicates that when countries have the right resources, trade can help bring wider benefits to the community, allowing them to lift themselves out of poverty and become our trading partners of the future.
Asked by: Judith Cummins (Labour - Bradford South)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with (i) UK and (ii) international businesses on the Prosperity Fund since 2015.
Answered by George Hollingbery
My Rt. Hon. Friend for Chelsea and Fulham (Greg Hands), the former Minister of State for Trade Policy and my Noble Friend, the Minister of State for Trade and Export Promotion (Baroness Fairhead) hosted a roundtable discussion at the Prosperity Fund Business Forum on 20 June 2018 which was attended by UK businesses only. My Rt. Hon. Friend for Chelsea and Fulham also spoke at a wider session at the Business Forum to UK businesses. His speech can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/greg-hands-the-best-and-most-sustainable-way-out-of-poverty-is-through-trade . DIT Ministers regularly meet with businesses to promote UK exports and signpost UK businesses to international opportunities, including opportunities created by the Prosperity Fund.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid her Department is planning to allocate to (a) Commonwealth and (b) non-Commonwealth countries in each of the next five years.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The indicative budgets by DFID country office for 2018/19 and 2019/20 will be available in the Annual Report and Accounts for 2017/18 which is due to be published later this year. Departmental budgets for 2020/21 and beyond have yet to be agreed, and will be set during the upcoming Spending Review.
Over the next five years Commonwealth countries will continue to be important development partners as the UK delivers on its commitments to reduce global poverty. Our aid spending will continue to be focused on supporting countries to grow their economies, trade and invest their way out of poverty and ensuring that no one is left behind.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations he has received from the Fairtrade Foundation on the effect on the UK's Sustainable Development Goals of the provisions in his Department's Trade Bill, published in November 2017; and what assessment he has made of that effect.
Answered by Greg Hands
Ministers and officials at the Department of International Trade (DIT) regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Fairtrade Foundation.
The UK is a leading voice in support of free trade as a tool for economic development and a proud advocate of helping developing countries trade their way out of poverty. That is why DIT and the Department for International Development (DFID) are working together to ensure development and global prosperity are at the heart of UK trade and investment policy.
We have pledged to support the world’s poorest countries access UK markets once we leave the EU, to help fulfil our commitment to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Goals, both at home and around the world.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking to promote trade between the UK and least developed countries.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The UK is a proud advocate of supporting developing countries trade their way out of poverty. The Government has introduced the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill which will enable us to create a UK trade preference scheme to maintain existing tariff free access to the UK for Least Developed Countries as we leave the EU.
Asked by: Huw Merriman (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for International Development:
What steps her Department is taking to promote trade between the UK and least developed countries.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The UK is a proud advocate of helping developing countries trade their way out of poverty. The Government has introduced the Taxation (Cross-Border Trade) Bill which enables creation of a trade preference scheme. This will maintain existing tariff free access to the UK for Least Developed Countries as we leave the EU.
Asked by: Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on its strategy on trade and aid of the establishment of the Institute for Free Trade; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rory Stewart
I welcome the establishment of the Institute for Free Trade, which fully acknowledges the vital role trade can play in boosting developing countries’ economic development and lifting people out of poverty.
This Government is committed to engaging with a broad range of stakeholders as we further develop our trade and development policy. I look forward to considering the work of the Institute as this progresses.