HC Deb 24 March 1988 vol 130 cc178-9W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made in the development of the Uruguay round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade multilateral trade negotiations; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Alan Clark

The initial phase of the Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations, which was devoted to the examination of the issues identified in the Punta del Este declaration, has been completed. Some 160 proposals have been tabled by the contracting parties, covering all the main areas. Substantive negotiations are now beginning and are due to be completed in September 1990. A mid-term meeting will take place in Montreal in the week of 5 December 1988 at which Ministers from the contracting parties will review progress.