There is considerable merit in understanding how our competitors\u2019 export agencies are structured and the services they offer. This is something the Exports Implementation Taskforce, which the Secretary of State chairs, looked at in some depth in developing a whole-of-Government approach to exports. This included, UK Trade & Investment participating in a formal benchmarking exercise by the International Trade Centre.<\/p>
Among the key things found from these comparative reviews is that UKTI employs more people than other countries\u2019 export promotion agencies, but deploys less resource on practical support for exporters (such as interim export managers). Learning from this, UKTI is currently developing some small-scale direct practical support services and products to see what might work in the UK.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3938", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Anna Soubry"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxtowe"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Anna Soubry"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-02-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-02-16T15:21:20.633Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "26"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-02-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "UK Trade and Investment: Standards"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of benchmarking UKTI's performance against that of other countries' export agencies.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/249", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "The Cotswolds"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Geoffrey Clifton-Brown"} ], "uin" : "25925"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/450670", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Innovation and Skills"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/450670/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Increasing exports, to all overseas markets, is a key factor in the Government\u2019s long-term economic plan. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and Innovate UK work together to co-ordinate activity to promote UK innovation and to help drive the UK's productivity, exports and long-term growth through increasing trade and inward investment in science and innovation. An Innovate UK secondee further augments the activities of both organisations.<\/p>
This work supports UK businesses looking to take advantage of overseas opportunities and to create a strong business environment that allows them to flourish both at home and overseas. This includes working together on events and entrepreneur missions to promote the UK\u2019s innovative companies on a global scale, identifying export opportunities and securing new markets. Innovate UK funded projects and companies are referred to UKTI trade advisers to help support international planning and exports. To date 250 companies have been referred.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3938", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Anna Soubry"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxtowe"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Anna Soubry"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-03-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-03-03T11:07:24.22Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "26"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-02-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Innovate UK: UK Trade and Investment"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of co-ordinating the objectives of Innovate UK and UKTI in order to increase exports.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/249", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "The Cotswolds"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Geoffrey Clifton-Brown"}
], "uin" : "25926"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/450818", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Innovation and Skills"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/450818/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Since the Start Up Loans Company was established in September 2012, the Start-up Loans Company has approved a total of 36,960 applications. A breakdown of applications granted in each of the past four financial years since the Company began is set out below.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p><\/td> SULCo Loans Approved<\/p><\/td><\/tr> Financial Year<\/p><\/td> Volume<\/p><\/td> Value<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2012-2013<\/p><\/td> 2,565<\/p><\/td> £13,922,757<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2013-2014<\/p><\/td> 13,431<\/p><\/td> £74,218,127<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2014-2015<\/p><\/td> 13,658<\/p><\/td> £68,344,871<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2015-2016 (up to December 2015)<\/em><\/p><\/td> 7,306<\/p><\/td> £50,235,681<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3938", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Anna Soubry"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxtowe"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Anna Soubry"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-02-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-02-09T17:12:12.277Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "26"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-02-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Start Up Loans Company: Applications"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applications have been approved by the Start-up Loan Company in each of the last five years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4420", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Gavin Newlands"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Paisley and Renfrewshire North"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Gavin Newlands"}
], "uin" : "26012"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/450293", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Innovation and Skills"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/450293/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "