Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the tourism industry throughout the North East.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
In January this year I chaired the first Inter-Ministerial Group on the Visitor Economy, where we discussed how the visitor economy could support the levelling up agenda. We are now running a ‘Policy Sprint’ to look at how we can turn that into reality by maximising opportunities for the North East of England. The overall aim is to deliver genuine impact in the region and beyond, and provide long term growth by realising the potential of the Visitor Economy to level up the North East.
VisitEngland’s current domestic campaign ‘Escape the Everyday’ features Newcastle and York as two of the highlighted cities. The ‘Escape the Everyday’ campaign encourages the “pre-nester”(18-34 year old) audience to book an English city break this spring.
We also launched the second round of the Escape the Everyday Destination Management Organisation (DMO) Recovery Marketing Fund in February, providing the opportunity for DMOs across England to apply for grant funding to deliver local marketing activities.
VisitBritain’s business events team work closely with NewcastleGateshead Initiative and has provided recent support to them in the form of free participation at MeetGB, free promotion on a virtual platform to promote the region to international association organisers, attendance at VB’s City Sustainability roundtable and providing them access to apply to the Business Events Growth Programme for International events.
VisitBritain’s business support team has engaged with the North East during a variety of events and programmes including the ‘Taking England to the World Education Programme’, a ‘Business Support Roadshow’ and the North East Tourism Awards, which were run by NewcastleGateshead Initiative.
VisitBritain has also hosted international travel trade buyers on educational visits across Britain, including four buyers from the Nordics Group who visited Newcastle and Northumberland. A variety of suppliers from the North East attended ExploreGB Virtual, including: Durham Cathedral, Hadrian's Wall Holidays, the Sandman Hotel Group and Alnwick Castle and Gardens.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has plans to use the security exemption offered under World Trade Organisation rules to exclude foreign companies from bids to construct and supply warships in the UK.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As warships are expressly excluded from the UK's list of covered goods in the World Trade Organisation Government Procurement Agreement, the national security exemption in Article III of that Agreement is not engaged. In relation to the supply of warships, the applicability of the national security exemptions in the Public Contracts Regulations and the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations will be assessed on a case by case basis. This is in line with the Ministry of Defence shipbuilding policy set out in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) work with international counterparts on tackling plastic pollution and (b) implement the Deposit Return Scheme.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Plastic pollution is a global challenge, and the UK engages across multilateral forums and organisations to raise global ambition and drive action to minimise plastic pollution from both land and sea-based sources, including the G7 and G20, the OSPAR Convention, the World Trade Organisation and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Through the £500 million Blue Planet Fund the UK is funding developing countries to protect the marine environment and reduce poverty, including the Global Plastic Action Partnership to address plastic pollution. Through the UK and Vanuatu-led Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance, 34 Commonwealth nations have now committed to taking action on plastic pollution in the ocean.
The UK co-sponsored the ambitious proposal that led to the resolution adopted at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022 to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, and the UK has joined the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution to drive a comprehensive and effective treaty.
A second consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was published in 2021 and is now closed. The Government is analysing the responses to that consultation, with a view to publishing a Government response soon.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on taking steps to potentially exclude Russia from the WTO until they withdraw fully from Ukraine.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
At the WTO, the Government has condemned the actions of the Russian Federation and shown solidarity with the Government and people of Ukraine. We are working closely with like-minded partners to take steps to marginalise Russia and to deprive the Russian government of the benefits of WTO membership.
We are aware that discussions are taking place about the possible mechanisms to expel Russia from the WTO. We will continue to explore with allies the full range of economic, diplomatic, and political options.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making representations at the World Trade Organisation for a vote on the suspension of Belarus from that organisation in respect of its continuing material support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Belarus is not a member of the World Trade Organization. Accession talks were suspended following the rigged election and fraudulent inauguration of Alexander Lukashenko in 2020. Belarussian complicity in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is incompatible with the respect for the rules-based order that is a precondition for WTO membership. This issue has been discussed with partners within the WTO.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of supporting a temporary patent waiver for covid-19 vaccines to ensure developing countries have equitable access to vaccine supply.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The waiver proposed at the World Trade Organisation goes beyond patents and vaccines, encompassing most intellectual property on all COVID-19-related products and technologies with no geographical or duration limits.
While HM Government remains open to initiatives that will help with equitable vaccine distribution and their prompt administration, there is no evidence that waiving intellectual property protections would advance this objective. Rather, it would dismantle the framework which has and will continue to develop Covid-19 products, like vaccines, which are positively contributing to the global pandemic response, enabling vaccination of key workers like seafarers and medical staff both domestically and internationally.
Asked by: Lord Hannan of Kingsclere (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the cost to business of applying VAT on imports from EU states.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Before the UK left the EU, sales of goods from the EU to UK customers were already subject to VAT. This has not changed. Prior to the end of the transition period, VAT was collected and paid through the VAT return system. For sales to consumers or non-VAT-registered businesses, VAT was either due in the EU Member State or in the UK, depending on whether the volume of the supplier’s sales made into the UK breached an annual threshold. For sales to VAT-registered businesses, the VAT registered-business would be responsible for accounting for the VAT on a VAT return through what is known as a ‘reverse charge’. The VAT-registered business could reclaim this VAT as input tax on the same VAT return, subject to the normal recovery rules. Only sales to the UK from outside the EU were subject to import VAT collection at the border.
Now that the transition period has ended, the UK has used its freedom from EU rules to create a fairer and more robust tax system, while also complying with World Trade Organisation rules by treating EU and non-EU goods the same. For goods in consignments up to £135, VAT is due at the point of sale. Where a UK VAT-registered business provides its VAT registration number to the supplier, the VAT registered business is responsible for accounting for the VAT due on the goods through a reverse charge. For goods in consignments over £135, import VAT is due and UK VAT-registered businesses can choose to use ‘postponed VAT accounting’. Accounting for VAT on a VAT return in these ways allows businesses to reclaim it as input tax on the same VAT return, as was the case under the previous rules, and ensures continuity for businesses.
Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with the World Trade Organisation on the level of international tariffs on forest risk products.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Secretary of State for International Trade has had no discussions at the World Trade Organisation on the level of international tariffs on forest risk commodities.
The Department continues to support the Government’s ongoing work to promote the sustainable trade in forest risk commodities, and is considering the role of the WTO and other fora in this effort.
Asked by: Lord Jordan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide COVID-19 vaccines to (1) the Republic of Barbados, and (2) other small island states which may currently be experiencing COVID-19 vaccine shortages; and whether they intend to support the proposal of the governments of India and South Africa to suspend parts of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights as they relate to COVID-19 vaccines.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to help bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end as soon as possible and strongly supports the COVAX Facility as a key mechanism to deliver this. The majority of the UK's doses are being donated via COVAX. We are donating a smaller quantity to bilateral partners and countries facing their own health emergencies, to further support the global response to Covid-19. We are only donating vaccines to countries which are eligible for Overseas Development Assistance (ODA). The FCDO has responded to the Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) which includes a breakdown of where doses have been sent to as of the end of November.
Throughout the pandemic our top priority has been to save lives. We firmly believe the best way to do this is to support the world's leading scientists to develop our most important weapon in the fight against COVID-19: vaccines. Our robust international intellectual property framework protects the ability of these pioneering minds to come up with new ideas and innovations. It has and will continue to allow us to develop vaccines and treatments at unprecedented pace and meet our ultimate goal of saving lives. There is no evidence that an IP waiver would help us to meet this goal. The reality is that the proposal for a TRIPS waiver would dismantle the very framework that helped to produce COVID-19 vaccines at an unprecedented pace. More worryingly, the waiver proposal could lead to a dangerous reduction in the quality of products being manufactured and in the already limited supply of key raw materials. This risks compromising vaccine efficacy and patient safety.
Whilst the UK Government has not seen evidence that Intellectual Property is a barrier to the production or supply of COVID-19 goods, including vaccines, the Government will continue to engage constructively in debates at the World Trade Organisation Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Council and other international institutions to promote affordable and equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines for all. The UK affirmed this commitment in the 22 October G7 Trade Ministers' communique, which notes our determination to achieve an impactful outcome on trade and health, including how the international Intellectual Property framework can best support the WTO's pandemic response. The UK remains open to all initiatives that will have a demonstrable impact on vaccine production and distribution. We will continue to engage constructively in discussions at the WTO to that end. To end this pandemic sooner, we must focus efforts on the things that will make a real difference. That includes the promotion of voluntary licensing and technology transfer agreements - several of which have already proven to be successful.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions she has had with her (a) South African and (b) Indian counterpart on the Government’s position on the time limited waiver on covid-19 vaccine manufacture in the global south.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
I shall answer on the assumption that the Hon. Member for Preston is referring to the proposed World Trade Organisation (WTO)’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) waiver.
Unfortunately, due to the disappointing but correct decision to postpone MC12, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade did not meet with counterparts as hoped. UK officials have met with representatives from India and South Africa on a number of occasions to discuss the issue. These meetings are part of our continued efforts to engage proactively on our collective aim of reaching a pragmatic outcome on the TRIPS debate.