§ 18. Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on his policy on Burma following the International Labour Organisation's decision on forced labour conditions. [154105]
§ Mr. BattleIn 1997 the European Community suspended GSP privileges to Burma in reaction to the use of forced labour there. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment wrote to employers and workers groups in the UK on 18 February, asking them to draw the ILO decision to their members' attention and to consider how to give effect to the ILO 613W Resolution. We too are actively considering what further steps HMG could take; I discussed this issue with ILO Director General Somavia on 21 March in Geneva.