Multilateral Agreement on Investment (Hansard, 15 June 1998)

§ Mr. Corbyn
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent representations she has received concerning the Multilateral Agreement on Investment; and if she will publish them.[45355]

§ Mrs. Roche
This Department has received many representations on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) from interested parties. These representations were not made to us on the basis that they would be made public.

§ Mr. Corbyn
To ask the President of the Board of Trade which multi-national companies she has consulted on the future of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment; and if she will publish their replies. [45354]

§ Mrs. Roche
This Department has been in close touch with British business throughout the negotiations on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), notably via the CBI and the International Chambers of Commerce100W (ICC-UK). Our consultation with industry was not carried out on the understanding that their responses would be made public.

§ Mr. Corbyn
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on progress with the Multilateral Agreement on Investment. [45356]

§ Mrs. Roche
The Government welcome the decision by OECD Ministers at the Ministerial meeting of 27–28 April 1998 to extend the negotiating for the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), seeking a successful and timely conclusion. The next negotiating session for officials at the OECD will be in October. We intend to use the intervening period for further assessment and consultation with interested parties. We will continue to work for our key aims to be met: we are seeking strong provisions on environmental and labour standards, an agreement attractive to developing countries, and an acceptable balance between the commitments we take on and the commitments offered by others.

§ Mr. Corbyn
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what discussions she has held concerning the environmental aspects of the Multilateral Agreement on Investment; and if she will make a statement. [45384]

§ Mrs. Roche
Ministers and officials from this Department are in constant contact across Whitehall and with NGOs and other interested parties on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), including on its environmental aspects. The Government will continue to press for strong language on the environment in the MAI and would not support an Agreement which failed to address these issues.