Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on external consultants by (a) UK Export Finance, (b) the Trade Remedies Authority, (c) UK Defence and Security Exports and (d) the Competition and Markets Authority in (i) 2020, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2022; and whether any of that spending related to the preparation of funding bids to (A) her predecessor Departments and (B) HM Treasury.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
UK Export Finance (UKEF) expenditure on consultants is published in the Annual Report and Accounts at the following location (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/uk-export-finance-annual-reports-and-accounts). Of this expenditure, £679,629 related to the preparation of funding bids to HM Treasury.
The Trade Remedies Authority has not incurred any consultancy expenditure since its creation on 01 June 2021.
The former Department for International Trade (DIT) expenditure on consultants is published in the Annual Report and Accounts at the following location (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-international-trade-annual-report-and-accounts). None of this expenditure related to the preparation of funding bids.
The Competition and Markets Authority expenditure on consultants is published in Annual Report and Accounts at the following location (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-annual-report-and-accounts-2020-to-2021). None of this expenditure related to the preparation of funding bids.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many Ministers in her Department received ministerial severance pay for leaving office in 2022.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one-off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government.
Details of such payments are published in the departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data/salaries-of-members-of-his-majestys-government-april-2022-html
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which Ministers formerly in her Department have received ministerial severance pay since leaving office in 2022.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Details of such payments are published in the departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data/salaries-of-members-of-his-majestys-government-april-2022-html
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost to the public purse has been of Ministerial severance pay in her Department in each year since 1 January 2016.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to a one off payment equivalent to one quarter of their annual salary at the point at which they leave Government. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government. Individuals may waive the payment to which they are entitled. That is a matter for their personal discretion. Details of such payments are published in departmental annual reports and accounts, and ministerial salaries are published on GOV.UK at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1027301/Salaries_of_Members_of_Her_Majestys_Government_-_Financial_Year_2021-22_-_Publication.pdf.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what total amount of money has been paid out by her Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to her Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation (Section 4 of the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991). Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.
Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayment of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish how many arms exports applications to Israel her Department has (a) licensed and (b) rejected in each year since 2010.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) for export licences granted, refused and revoked to all destinations on GOV.UK and these reports contain detailed information, including the overall value, the type (e.g. Military, Other), and a summary of the items covered by these licences. The data for 2021 was published on 12th April 2022.
The Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, was superseded by Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, announced in the Written Statement of 8th December 2021, HCWS449.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will publish for (a) which countries and (b) what reasons her Department has (i) refused to grant and (ii) revoked arms export licenses in accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria in each year since 2010.
Answered by Ranil Jayawardena
HM Government publishes Official Statistics (on a quarterly and annual basis) for export licences granted, refused and revoked to all destinations on GOV.UK and these reports contain detailed information, including the overall value, the type (e.g. Military, Other), and a summary of the items covered by these licences. The data for 2021 was published on 12th April 2022.
The Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, was superseded by Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, announced in the Written Statement of 8th December 2021, HCWS449.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the impact of increased homeworking during the covid-19 outbreak on her Department’s carbon footprint.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department monitors and reports on its greenhouse gas emissions - information on this is published in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Report. More information is available here - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/greening-government-commitments
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has published a plan setting out the steps it plans to take to transition to net zero emissions.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Department is committed to reducing emissions and energy consumption wherever possible, as part of the UK’s transition to net zero. The Department’s current targets to make progress on reducing emissions have been published, as part of the Greening Government Commitments - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/greening-government-commitments#annual-reports
The Government published the Net Zero Strategy in October 2021, which sets out policies and proposals for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy to meet our net zero target by 2050 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to measure its carbon footprint.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Greenhouse gas emissions are published annually in the Greening Government Commitments Annual Reports - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/greening-government-commitments#annual-reports