Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Support for UK Manufacturing Exports

Thursday 21 April 2022 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The DIT launched an export campaign for UK manufacturing businesses called "Made in the UK, Sold to the World" in 2021.
  • The port of Liverpool experienced its busiest month in March, handling 52,000 containers, and the Department supports exporters in the Liverpool city region.
  • Tariffs for 100% of UK manufacturing exports are eliminated in free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand, set to save 34 million.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Suzanne Webb
Business & Trade
Context

The Department is being asked about steps to support UK manufacturing exports, highlighting the importance of these industries in the UK economy.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to support UK manufacturing exports?

Answer from Mike Freer

In 2021, the DIT launched a new export campaign for manufacturing businesses—“Made in the UK, Sold to the World”. The campaign celebrates the quality of the UK manufacturing sector and its global demand. We support businesses across all regions and nations to amplify and boost export opportunities throughout the manufacturing sector.

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Q2 Chris Green Con
Business & Trade
Context

The port of Liverpool had its busiest month in March, handling 52,000 containers. The question asks for continued support to utilise these facilities for British manufactured goods.

Question

I thank my hon. Friend for his answer. Would he join me in celebrating the success of the port of Liverpool, which had its busiest month in March, when it handled 52,000 containers? Would he also continue to do all he can to ensure that we make more use of these amazing facilities, especially to export British manufactured goods?

Answer from Mike Freer

I congratulate the port of Liverpool on its busiest ever month and look forward to the record being beaten regularly as exports from the north-west continue to grow. The Department continues to help exporters across the Liverpool city region and the wider north-west. Last month I joined a joint mission to Ireland with Mayors from Liverpool and Greater Manchester, showcasing 15 exporters from the north-west.

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Q3 Gareth Bacon Con Orpington
Business & Trade
Context

The question asks for an update on how manufacturing exports are considered during the negotiation of free trade agreements.

Question

Will my hon. Friend update the House on how manufacturing exports are considered when negotiating free trade agreements?

Answer from Mike Freer

We advance UK manufacturing exports through our free trade agreements programme. For example, with Australia and New Zealand, we eliminated tariffs for 100% of UK manufacturing exports. In almost all cases, tariffs will be eliminated the day that the agreement comes into force. This will save £34 million in duties for UK car exports to Australia from day one.

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Q4 Suzanne Webb
Business & Trade
Context

The question focuses on ensuring UK manufacturers remain competitive to attract inward investment, with a particular focus on the constituency of Q19 and its history in iron and steel production.

Question

My constituency has a long history of manufacturing excellence, whether in iron and steel or producing the best glass in the world. I have fantastic companies such as Quality Metal Products. How is the Department ensuring that UK manufacturers remain competitive in attracting inward investment to help companies in my constituency support growth?

Answer from Mike Freer

The UK has a proud reputation as one of the most attractive economies in the world. In 2020, the UK secured the most greenfield foreign direct investment in Europe according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Last year, the £1.4 billion global Britain investment fund announced aims to increase our attractiveness, especially to manufacturers. I am happy to link up with my hon. Friend's manufacturers to see what we can do to boost manufacturing in her constituency.

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Q5 Bill Esterson Lab Sefton Central
Business & Trade
Context

The question addresses the decline in UK goods exports and asks for an admission that there is not enough capacity to deliver additional export support, especially for SMEs.

Question

The figures reported for UK goods exports show a 14% fall in the three months to January compared with the same period in 2020. In contrast, there was an 8.2% global average rise over the same period. When the Minister and Secretary of State announce initiatives to help exporters, will they admit that the capacity is simply not there to deliver the additional support for exports especially our SMEs need?

Answer from Mike Freer

I disagree with the hon. Gentleman: the capacity is there. We offer a range of services including the export support service, international aviation fund, trade advisers, export academy, champions, tradeshow access programme, and UK Export Finance—details available at parliamentary export showcase.

Not addressed: The question was about whether capacity exists to deliver additional support, but the answer instead listed existing services without addressing if more capacity is needed or if current capacity suffices for SMEs.

How: Disagreed With Statement, Listed Existing Services

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