Twenty-First Report - Government support for UK exporters

The government's response addresses funding decisions for the Towns Fund and Levelling Up Fund, providing no direct engagement with the recommendation on DIT/UKEF's integrated approach or support for exporters.

The government explicitly rejects this recommendation, stating it already publishes a balanced suite of metrics and is developing more for priority outcomes. It will not commit to publishing any specific additional metrics until their robustness and accuracy are confirmed.

The government's truncated response indicates the department will provide annual updates on the success of a fund through monitoring and evaluation. It does not explicitly address the specific recommendations to improve ITA quality, explore accreditation, or ensure digital services meet smaller business needs.

The government agrees to the recommendation, stating it launched the General Export Facility (GEF) and refreshed its "Exporters Edge" marketing campaign to increase support for SMEs. However, the response does not explicitly address the recommendations to proactively target green technology, support exporters during COVID-19, or develop a customer satisfaction survey.

The government agrees to accelerate the expansion of banks operating under the delegated approach for UKEF products, aiming for September 2021. It will sign up new institutions for the General Export Facility and engage with other funders, including FinTechs, to adapt products to simplify access for exporters.

The government's response provides general background information about UK exports and the Department for International Trade's role, as the committee's initial paragraph was purely introductory and did not require action.

The government describes an integrated approach developed with BEIS, applying a new framework to critical net zero technologies to link innovation and export potential from early policy stages. While there are no immediate plans to partner on UKRI studies, DIT and UKEF will continue to seek opportunities for collaboration.

The government explicitly disagrees, stating it already publishes a balanced suite of export performance indicators and has developed a framework including a theory of change. It will not commit to publishing additional metrics until they are robust and accurate, effectively rejecting the committee's implicit call for clearer targets and improved performance measures.

The government explicitly disagrees, stating it already publishes a balanced suite of metrics and is developing more for priority outcomes. It commits to developing a better understanding of its impact but will not commit to publishing any specific additional metrics until their robustness is confirmed.

The government explicitly disagrees with the implied recommendation, stating it already publishes a balanced suite of export performance metrics and is developing a theory of change. It commits to developing a better understanding of its impact but will not commit to publishing any specific additional metrics until they are deemed robust and accurate.

The government agrees and commits to continuing support for SMEs through a new £38 million Internationalisation Fund, exploring accreditation for International Trade Advisers, enhancing digital services, and promoting the 'report a trade barrier' service. These actions aim to broaden support beyond the largest businesses by September 2021.

The government agrees and commits to enhancing its digital offer for exporters by iterating services to increase quality and provide relevant content, data, and digital services. This aims to address concerns about low satisfaction and declining use of existing digital support for small businesses, with a target implementation date of September 2021.

The government agrees and will explore accreditation for International Trade Advisers and promote the 'report a trade barrier' service by September 2021. However, the response does not explicitly address the recommendation regarding TAP grants for virtual trade shows or analyzing why businesses export only once.

The government agrees to continue helping SMEs export via the £38 million Internationalisation Fund and by including SME chapters in all Free Trade Agreements. It will also explore accreditation for trade advisers, build its digital offer, and promote the 'report a trade barrier' service, with information on existing barriers to be published on gov.uk.

The government agreed with the (implicit) recommendation, launching the General Export Facility, refreshing its marketing campaign, streamlining bank agreements for trade finance, and setting up a new team to improve buyer finance products for smaller transactions.

The government agrees and launched the General Export Facility (GEF) in December 2020, which is expected to increase SME support. UKEF has also refreshed its "Exporters Edge" marketing campaign to promote GEF and other SME-focused products, working with banks and industry partners.

The government agrees and confirms that UKEF launched the General Export Facility (GEF) in December 2020, which is designed to be more usable for smaller exporters and drive an increase in SME support. UKEF has also refreshed its marketing campaign to promote GEF and other SME-focused products.

The government agrees to expand UKEF's 'clean and green' Export Finance Managers network, increase targeted marketing for the clean growth sector, and allocate an additional £2 billion to UKEF's direct lending facility specifically for clean growth projects, with a target implementation date of September 2021.

The government agrees and is expanding the number of banks using the delegated approach and signing up new institutions for the General Export Facility. It is also engaging with other funders, including FinTechs, to adapt UKEF products, with an aim to implement by September 2021.

The government agrees to expand the number of banks operating under the delegated approach and to sign up new institutions for the General Export Facility as quickly as possible, with a target implementation date of September 2021. UKEF is also engaging with other funders like FinTechs to adapt its products, though these discussions are in early stages.

The government agrees to expand the number of banks operating under the delegated approach and to sign up new institutions for the General Export Facility as quickly as possible. UKEF is also engaging with other funders like FinTechs to adapt its products, with the first new partners expected shortly.