HC Deb 24 October 2002 vol 391 cc424-5W
Mr. Blunt

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many country specific enterprise initiative schemes there are; and if she will list them and their budgets. [75860]

Ms Hewitt

British Trade International has a number of country specific Trade Development schemes designed to help British businesses export for the first time or access certain new markets. The schemes are listed below together with the total budget allocation in Financial Year 2002–2003.

1. Export Explorer: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden. £500,000
2. Export USA £145,000
3. Export Canada £15,000
4. First Timers Programme: Brazil £70,000
5. Enterprise Initiative: India £20,000
6. Cuba Trade Development Programme £30,000
7. Thailand British Business Mentoring Scheme £1,500
8. UK-South Africa SME Partnership Programme £93,000

In addition, British Trade International also conducts campaigns to raise British exporters' awareness of opportunities in particular markets. There is a budget of £669,000 available in Financial Year 2002–2003 to support campaigns in the following markets.

  1. 1. Australia
  2. 2. Brazil
  3. 3. Egypt
  4. 4. Israel
  5. 5. Malaysia
  6. 6. Mexico
  7. 7. Morocco
  8. 8. Saudi Arabia
  9. 9. Singapore
  10. 10. South Africa
  11. 11. South Korea
    12. 425W
  12. 12. Taiwan
  13. 13. Thailand
  14. 14. United Arab Emirates

Since the Cabinet Secretary's Review of Export Promotion in 1999 and the subsequent establishment of British Trade International, the focus of Government support for trade has shifted from promoting overseas markets to British business to developmental work in order to improve the ability of companies to export and trade overseas successfully. There is also a greater emphasis on identifying and exploiting specific sectoral opportunities within overseas markets where they correspond to sectoral strengths in the British economy.