§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 26 February 2002,Official Report, column 1129W, on the WTO, if she will make a statement on progress with measures to make the WTO more transparent and open and its rules easier to understand, including details of measures proposed by the UK Government. [63440]
§ Ms HewittOn 14 May 2002—after four years of negotiation—WTO members agreed improved procedures for the circulation and derestriction of WTO documents. This marks an important step forward in making its operations more transparent.
The UK Government supported moves towards even greater relaxation of the rules on restricting documents, but some other WTO members, not least from developing countries, remain concerned about the implications for their negotiating positions within the organisation and the practicalities for smaller delegations.
The UK Government believes that greater transparency and openness both within the WTO and with Civil Society—while preserving the Inter-governmental nature of the organisation—can only bring benefits in strengthening and explaining the system of multi-lateral trade rules.
The UK also actively supports measures to improve the ability of developing countries to participate fully in the WTO negotiations and, more generally their capacity to understand and implement WTO rules. The 2000 White Paper on International Development "Eliminating World Poverty—Making Globalisation Work for the Poor", commits the UK to providing £45 million of support to Trade Related Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in 1998–2003. To date £37.8 million of this has been formally committed.
§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the annual cost to developing countries of TRIPS. [63426]
§ Ms HewittMy Department has made no specific assessment of the annual cost of developing countries of TRIPS.