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Written Question
Health: Equality
Friday 7th October 2022

Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle racial health disparities. .

Answered by Caroline Johnson

There is a range of action taking place across the system to tackle ethnic health disparities. This includes work to address disparities in local maternity systems. Last year, NHS England published equity and equality guidance for local maternity systems, which focuses on actions to reduce disparities for women and babies from black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups and those living in the most deprived areas and included an investment of £6.8 million to support the implementation of local action plans.

Each Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) is required to write an integrated care strategy by December 2022 that sets out how the assessed local needs can be met through the Integrated Care Board, partner local authorities or NHS England. This must include clear plans to reduce disparities in health access, experience and outcomes. The Department’s regional teams are working with ICPs to ensure that plans are comprehensive, ambitious and are driven by the evidence on local need.

Good health is driven by a range of factors, from income to housing and wider environment, as well as health behaviours, wider risk factors and access to high quality services. Some groups are at greater risk of poorer health outcomes than others, with disparities by ethnicity, socio-economic status, and geography. The department continues to improve the evidence base on the drivers of poor health and disparities, including why some groups fare worse than others and the policy solutions to address it.


Written Question
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Wednesday 2nd December 2020

Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the economic, and (2) the diplomatic, consequences for the UK of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel

As a supporter of free trade, the UK takes a close interest in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which should help standardise rules and facilitate trade between partners in the region. The Government is committed to enhancing our trade in Asia Pacific through our trade negotiations with Japan, Australia and New Zealand, our intention to accede to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and our bilateral trade engagement with partner countries.


Written Question
Kickstart Scheme
Monday 20th July 2020

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had on the delivery of the Kickstart scheme with (a) the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government; (b) Jobcentre Plus Regional Offices and (c) local authorities.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

DWP is implementing the Kickstart Scheme. We will continue to work closely with a wide range of government departments including MHCLG, to develop and deliver the Scheme as part of the wider package announced in the Chancellor’s Summer Statement.

With MHCLG we are setting up joint design groups to optimise the effectiveness of the scheme at a local and regional level. I have already discussed the Kickstart Scheme with the M9 Mayors and we have engaged extensively with the Jobcentre network.

We are keen to develop an effective and comprehensive economic response that works nationally and locally. Our Job Centre Plus partnership managers and employer advisors already work closely with key local partners, such as Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships.


Written Question
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership: Stoke on Trent
Monday 22nd June 2020

Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential economic benefit to Stoke-on-Trent joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) would open up new opportunities for our exporters in strategically important sectors, helping to support an industrial revival in the UK. Trade with members of CPTPP already benefits the region. In 2018, Shropshire and Staffordshire exported around £431m worth of goods to CPTPP countries and imported around £801m worth of goods from CPTPP countries[1]. In 2019, the West Midlands as a whole exported over £2.4 billion worth of goods to CPTPP member countries, representing around 8 per cent of the region’s exports. The West Midlands imported over £1.9 billion worth of goods from CPTPP member countries, representing just over 5% of goods imports to the region[2].

If the UK Government decides to formally apply for accession, we will publish an Outline Approach and a Scoping Assessment setting out our negotiating objectives and the potential benefits of accession, to the UK and the UK’s nations and regions.

[1] Source: HMRC Regional Trade in Goods Statistics, disaggregated by smaller geographical areas, NUTS2 level (released November 2019). Note data on regional trade with Brunei in unavailable.

[2] Source: HMRC Regional Trade in Goods Statistics (April to June 2020 release). Note data on regional trade with Brunei in unavailable.


Written Question
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Thursday 23rd January 2020

Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

What assessment she has made of the potential economic opportunities for the UK of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Answered by Elizabeth Truss

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is an ambitious regional trade agreement covering 11 countries across four continents.

Joining would provide us with the opportunity to deepen our trading links with some of the world’s most diverse, growing economies, and will allow us to expand our influence in the world and strengthen the rules-based international system.

No doubt CPTPP countries will be a valuable market for Aston Martin’s new DBX SUVs, which will be exported from the factory in my Rt Hon Friend for Vale of Glamorgan's constituency.


Written Question
China: Diplomatic Relations
Thursday 27th April 2017

Asked by: Lord Northbrook (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to strengthen diplomatic relations with China.

Answered by Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK-China relationship is strong, growing, and delivering benefits for both countries. During the State Visit of President Xi Jinping in October 2015 we established a Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership for the 21st Century. Through this partnership we are working together to tackle global challenges, build our economies for the future, and deepen our people to people links.

The strength of our relationship is demonstrated by the breadth and depth of high level dialogue between our two countries. We have annual high-level Ministerial dialogues on global strategic issues, economic and financial issues, and on our people to people links (covering a range of issues such as education, health, culture and innovation). These are underpinned by a wide range of other dialogues, covering issues such as security, human rights, energy and foreign policy. These dialogues enable us to deliver benefits for the prosperity aims and global agendas of both our countries. They also allow us to discuss issues such as cyber and human rights, because a strong, mature relationship means we can have open and constructive discussion on all subjects, including where we might not agree.

The UK Government has five posts in mainland China, making it our largest overseas network by staff numbers. We also have full time staff based in a number of China's regional cities that have the highest growth potential.


Written Question
South East Asia: Exports
Wednesday 11th November 2015

Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he has taken to boost exports to (a) Indonesia, (b) Vietnam, (c) Thailand, (d) Malaysia, (e) the Philippines and (f) other countries in South East Asia.

Answered by Anna Soubry

UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has established a regional network to support UK trade and investment across South East Asia. This helps provide UK companies with access to the fast-growing markets of the region. The network is on target to assist nearly 10,000 businesses this year. UKTI has directly assisted in export deals with the region worth £2bn in the first six months of this financial year, putting us on track to deliver the UK’s best ever trade figures for the region. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister urged the European Union to accelerate negotiations on the EU-ASEAN FTA, a deal that is worth an additional £3 billion a year to the UK economy.

Closer collaboration across the region, supported by continued investment from government, has enabled UKTI to operate ever more efficiently, working with more British businesses and securing a higher value of business wins. Six regional priority sectors have been identified- reflecting UK strengths as well as the scale of opportunities in the region – enabling a more strategic approach to trade delivery in Infrastructure, Education, Energy, Financial & Professional Services, Consumer Retail and Healthcare.

Significant investment is also being made in the development of additional trade service capacity, being delivered by industry partners in the region, principally through Chambers of Commerce. This represents the government’s growing focus on the region as a global growth engine, and is indicative of the continuing importance that this government places in seeking out global opportunities to boost the UK economy.

In July of this year my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister led a trade mission to Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. The mission was made up of 30 British businesses, and included the signing of trade deals worth over £750 million. Concurrently, my right hon. Friend the Secretary for State for Business, Innovation and Skills led the inaugural Northern Powerhouse delegation, comprising over 50 UK companies, to Singapore and Malaysia.

During his visit to Indonesia, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that the Government will make available up to £1 billion to finance infrastructure projects involving UK business, in Indonesia through its export guarantee scheme. The UK welcomes the recent commitments made by President Joko Widodo’s government on deregulation and improving the business and investment environment in Indonesia, as well as the talks between Indonesia and the EU on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which will benefit both Indonesia and the UK. Richard Graham MP, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Indonesia and the Asian Economic Community (AEC) has paid two visits this year to Indonesia, pushing forward trade priorities and promoting work on second-tier cities within Indonesia.

Two-way trade with Vietnam more than doubled between 2009 and 2014, reaching £2.81 billion, with the UK being amongst Vietnam’s largest trading partners within the EU. During my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s visit in July, the first by a serving British Prime Minister, Rolls Royce and Vietnam Airlines signed an agreement totalling £340 million, Prudential announced a £100 million investment and ZincOx agreed a £75 million investment for hazardous waste recycling.

In the past year, over 1000 UK businesses have been helped to trade with Thailand. Notable improvements to the business environment include: British beef and lamb now being allowed to be imported into the Thai market after a 20-year hiatus, which will bring business of some £9m over the next five years; the British Embassy Bangkok, with other embassies and Chambers, encouraged the Thai authorities not to proceed with new regulations which would have directly impacted foreign ownership of over 5000 companies, many British, as well as deter further UK investment opportunities; finally the Government has encouraged the Thai authorities, with strong support from the Thai Prime Minister, to sign up to the Construction Transparency Initiative, which should improve public procurement practice for major infrastructure projects.

Exports to Malaysia (the UK’s second largest export market in ASEAN) have risen by almost 25% between 2010 and 2014. Over the past four years, there have been more UK Ministerial and VIP visits to Malaysia promoting trade and investment than ever before, including two visits by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. Recent successes include a £4.2bn supply and maintenance deal between Rolls Royce and Air Asia. Posts have successfully worked to tackle market access barriers, for example, helping to open up engineering and legal services in Malaysia.

In the first half of this year UK exports to the Philippines grew by 44%, the third highest growth in exports to any country worldwide. Major deals include a £90m contract for the supply of electronic voting machines, a £70m deal for a British solar company and the appointment of Arup as the lead designer on the country’s second largest airport.

Lord Puttnam, UK Trade and Cultural Envoy to Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam has also made two visits to the region this year, strengthening important business and governmental links and working on campaigns ranging from infrastructure to education.