§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to 251W commission further reviews of the implications for development of proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment; and if she will make a statement. [48058]
§ Clare ShortThe Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) Negotiating Group has tasked the Secretariat of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with carrying out further analytical work on the development implications of the MAI. We expect to receive the Secretariat's initial proposals for this research shortly. We welcome the fact that the research is being taken forward by the Secretariat on behalf of the Negotiating Group as a whole. This indicates that there is now a broad interest among MAI negotiators in the development implications of the MAI. My Department will continue to keep in close touch with the Secretariat as their proposals develop and the research moves forward.