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
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 - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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 - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
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.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2017 to Question 70330, on developing countries: overseas trade, if he will publish an interim report of the ongoing review of the UK's future trade policy.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government will bring forward a paper on trade policy ahead of trade legislation in this parliamentary session. It will set out the Government’s emerging approach to developing an independent UK trade policy, including our trade with developing countries. The Department for International Trade and the Department for International Development will continue to work together on trade to maximise the opportunities for countries to trade their way out of poverty.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to tackle (a) barriers to economic development, (b) preventable diseases and (c) malaria in developing countries.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID is taking major steps to tackle the barriers to economic development. In January the Secretary of State launched DFID’s Economic Development Strategy which sets out how the UK is stimulating growth that transforms economies and how we are helping the poorest countries to attract investment, trade more, and create millions of jobs. This will help create prosperous economies that lift people out of poverty, help countries overcome the need for aid, and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals whilst also benefiting Britain. The Strategy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/587374/DFID-Economic-Development-Strategy-2017.pdf
DFID is a leading global actor on preventable diseases, including malaria, TB, HIV/Aids, providing significant funding to the World Health Organisation, the Global Fund on Aids, TB and Malaria, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and running programmes across regions and from country offices.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with Ministers in other Departments on the value of the Fairtrade scheme to future trade deals; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID’s Economic Development Strategy sets out the need for sustainable economic growth and quality jobs in order to reduce poverty. DFID is working closely with other government departments, in particular the Department for International Trade, to ensure that future trade deals work for producers in developing countries as well as the UK national interest. DFID is a longstanding supporter of Fairtrade and is currently supporting the pilot of a supply chain mapping programme known as Fairtrace.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with UK supermarkets on the effect of Fairtrade certification on producers in developing countries; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
DFID’s Economic Development Strategy sets out the importance of growth and jobs for sustainable poverty reduction. Fair and ethical trade standards have an important contribution to make to this especially in combatting modern slavery and child labour. Officials are engaging with a wide range of stakeholders including business, standards organisations and NGOs on these issues. DFID has been a long term partner of Fairtrade and is currently supporting innovative new work under the Fairtrace initiative. This is a technology-based supply chain mapping programme that will help increase transparency of supply chains.