As of 30/06/23 the Department for Business and Trade (ex-DIT only) had 527 members of staff working on free trade negotiations. Due to the recent Machinery of Government changes, this figure does not include staff from the former Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) who have transferred to the Department of Business and Trade. In addition, our headcount figures are updated monthly, and therefore the most recent headcount figure is accurate as of 30/06/23.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4407", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nigel Huddleston"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Mid Worcestershire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nigel Huddleston"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-07-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-07-26T15:49:32.11Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "214"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business and Trade"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business and Trade"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-07-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Trade Agreements"} , "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 and Trade, how many staff in her Department worked in the trade negotiations group as of 18 July 2023.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "194770"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1653783", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business and Trade"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1653783/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The then Department for International Trade spent £46.2m in 2022-23 on the negotiation and implementation of Free Trade Agreements.<\/p>
This enabled the Government to ratify new trade deals with Australia and New Zealand, which could lead to a £10.4 billion and £1.7 billion long run increase in bilateral trade respectively, conclude negotiations with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and progress negotiations with India, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Canada, Mexico, Israel, and Switzerland.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4460", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ms Nusrat Ghani"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wealden"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Ms Nusrat Ghani"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-08-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-08-02T14:06:22.34Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "214"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business and Trade"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business and Trade"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-07-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Trade Agreements"} , "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 and Trade, how much the then Department for International Trade spent (a) negotiating and (b) implementing free trade agreements in financial year 2022-23.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "194772"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1653784", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1653784/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Students and sponsors should refer to paragraph 5.32 onwards of the sponsorship duties guidance. Where a formal award has not yet been issued, a student on a course at degree level or above at a sponsor which is a Higher Education Provider with a track record of compliance, can request formal written confirmation from their sponsor stating that they are highly likely to complete their course successfully.<\/p>
The Department for Education will continue to engage with the HE sector over the coming weeks to help better understand the boycott\u2019s impact on students and the mitigating actions HE institutions are taking to protect their students\u2019 interests.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4320", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Robert Jenrick"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Newark"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Robert Jenrick"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-07-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-07-26T11:56:10.22Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2023-07-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Visas: Overseas Students"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2023 to Question 193678, what advice her Department provides to students living in the UK on a student visa and who need to apply for a new student visa without departing the UK because the award for their current course has been deferred as a result of the University and College Union marking and assessment boycott.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4638", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Slough"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi"} ], "uin" : "194773"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1653790", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1653790/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department is committed to ensuring that anyone, regardless of their background or where they live, can pursue an education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The Department funds a number of diversity and inclusion programmes to increase women and girls\u2019 participation in STEM courses and careers.<\/p>
In schools, girls\u2019 participation in STEM is already increasing. Girls made up 44% of all STEM entries at A level in 2022 and 51% of all science entries at A level in 2022. Since 2010, there has been a 35% increase in the number of STEM A level entries from girls in England.[1]<\/sup><\/sup> The Department is boosting the take up of STEM subjects by delivering the Prime Minister\u2019s ambition of ensuring all pupils in England study mathematics to 18.<\/p> The Department funds a number of programmes to inspire pupils, including girls, to take STEM subjects and support their engagement. This includes tailored mathematics support for students and teachers through the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme and an Inclusion in Schools project to increase the uptake of A level physics from pupils in underrepresented groups, including\u202fgirls.<\/p> The Department\u2019s programmes also include £100 million for the National Centre for Computing Education to increase participation in computer science at GCSE and A level, including funding for research on gender balance in computing, the results of which will inform a gender insights programme to support schools\u2019 awareness of barriers to girls\u2019 engagement with computing and help them improve take up of computer science qualifications. Other programmes include a national research trial on improving gender balance for physics, the results of which will be published in 2024, and the STEM Ambassadors programme, which inspires young people from underrepresented backgrounds to engage with STEM subjects. Approximately 45% of ambassadors are women and 15% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models.<\/p> The Department aims to maximise opportunities for participation in STEM at every level of education. STEM apprenticeship starts by women and girls continue to increase year on year, with 14,110 starts in 2021/22, up 23.3% from 2020/21 (11,440 starts). The Department is working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on new postgraduate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science conversion courses to boost skills and diversity in AI jobs. In the programme\u2019s first year, 76% of scholarships were awarded to women, 45% to black students, and 24% to students with disabilities. 2,000 additional scholarships are available to be delivered between 2023 and 2025.<\/p> Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains one of this government\u2019s top priorities.\u202f The CPS has already undertaken significant work on rape and domestic abuse (DA) designed to improve the investigation and prosecution of these offences. Last month the new national operating model for adult rape was launched, which focuses on building stronger cases at an earlier stage, through joint working with police. Increases in specialist RASSO workforce will further support the prosecution of these crimes. A new VAWG strategy for 2023-2025 is being developed for publication later this year. This will create a framework to address the challenges of these crimes across the criminal justice system. Since our significant investment in improving the handling of rape cases, not least through the Joint National Action Plan (JNAP), the national operating model and the publication of the Rape Review in 2021, more cases are getting to court.<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4497", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Michael Tomlinson"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Mid Dorset and North Poole"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Michael Tomlinson"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-07-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-07-26T07:47:41.31Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "88"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Attorney General"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Attorney General"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-07-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Gender Based Violence: Convictions"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Attorney General, what steps he is taking to improve the conviction rate for cases relating to violence against women and girls.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4131", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim Shannon"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Strangford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim Shannon"}
], "uin" : "194713"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1653799", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1653799/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " This Government is committed to doing everything we can to stop criminals abusing telecommunications networks. As a part of the Fraud Strategy, we announced a consultation on extending the ban on cold calls to include all financial products. We have also consulted on stopping criminals from getting hold of SIM farms. We are currently considering what action needs to be taken to prevent criminals from abusing mass texting services.<\/p> These actions are in addition to the Telecommunications Fraud Charter, which is a voluntary agreement with the telecommunication sector that has resulted in over 600 million scam texts and tens of millions of scam calls being blocked. It is available here: Fraud sector charter: telecommunications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)<\/a><\/p>
The Department supports women and girls\u2019 participation in STEM apprenticeships through the Apprenticeships Diversity Champions Network. The Department is also establishing a network of 21 Institutes of Technology (IoTs) to help close skills gaps in STEM sectors. One aim of IoTs is increasing participation from underrepresented groups at the local level.<\/p>