Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Bilateral Trade: Developing Countries

Wednesday 29 January 2020 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Departments work together to ensure development is at the heart of UK trade policy, including the UK-Africa investment summit.
  • The UK has committed to increasing women's role in trade and has extended the Commonwealth SheTrades programme to support female entrepreneurs.
  • The UK Government held a successful summit that builds partnerships for future trade and job creation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Daniel Kawczynski Con
Business & Trade
Context

The MP is questioning the recent discussions on increasing bilateral trade with developing countries.

Question

What recent discussions have you had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on increasing bilateral trade with developing countries?

Answer from Alok Sharma

Our Departments work together to ensure that development is at the heart of UK trade policy. This includes delivering the successful UK-Africa investment summit, where we announced the trade connect service which will help developing countries make the most of preferential access to UK markets and support UK firms to strengthen their supply chains in developing countries.

Answered
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Q2 Daniel Kawczynski Con
Economy Business & Trade Women & Equalities
Context

The MP is asking about support given to women entrepreneurs by the Department for International Development.

Question

Increasing the number of women in the workforce is key to economic growth. What support is DFID giving to women entrepreneurs?

Answer from Alok Sharma

The UK is committed to increasing women's role in trade, recognising the importance of trade as a lever for equality. We recently announced an extension to the Commonwealth SheTrades programme which provides training and mentoring to female entrepreneurs and connects them to international markets and investment opportunities.

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Q3 Chris Law SNP Dundee Central
Foreign Affairs
Context

The MP is raising concerns over the potential merging of aid and trade departments based on historical examples from Australia, questioning if similar changes are planned in the UK.

Question

Is that the future you want for your own Department or do you agree that a standalone Department remains the best way to deliver world-leading international development projects?

Answer from Alok Sharma

The UK is and will continue to be a superpower when it comes to international development. Our manifesto commits to spending 0.7% of GNI on aid.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Merger of departments

How: Manifesto Commitment

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Q4 Theo Clarke
Business & Trade
Context

The MP is congratulating the success of the UK-Africa investment summit and asking for further steps to support businesses like JCB in exporting more products.

Question

What further steps are the Government taking to support British businesses, such as JCB in my constituency, to export more and generate local jobs?

Answer from Alok Sharma

The summit was indeed a success, building partnerships with Governments and companies for the future, which will lead to more trade and jobs in both regions.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps for export support

How: Summit Success

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