§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what joint programmes her Department has to promote bilateral trade with India. [43596]
§ Nigel Griffiths[holding answer 21 March 2002]: The full range of services of British Trade International—both for trade and investment—are available to British companies seeking to do business with India which is a very important market for the United Kingdom. Trade Partners UK is responsible for helping UK exporters and outward investment, while Invest UK seeks to attract Indian investors, who are coming to the UK in growing numbers.
The Indo-British Partnership (IBP) was created in 1993 to encourage trade and investment between our two countries. Since the inception of the IBP UK-India trade has grown by 45 per cent. and, including invisibles, is now worth £5 billion a year.
The Enterprise Initiative: India is a current Trade Partners UK programme designed to help small and medium sized UK companies to enter the Indian market. The initiative offers a variety of services to British exporters.