HC Deb 01 February 1990 vol 166 c288W
Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement regarding the Uruguay round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Mr. Redwood

The Government attach great importance to a successful conclusion to the Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations, which is likely to be crucial to the maintenance and strengthening of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. We want to see substantial reductions in trade barriers, the strengthening of the GATT system, and its extension to new areas of trade. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently set out the Government's attitude to the Uruguay round in some detail, in a speech at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and I am arranging for copies of this to be placed in the Library of the House. Formal negotiations on behalf of the European Community are of course the responsibility of the European Commission.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from the British Footwear Manufacturers Federation about the Uruguay round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade negotiations.

Mr. Redwood

My Department has received a number of representations from the British Footwear Manufacturers Federation concerning the Uruguay round of multilateral trade negotiations, most recently relating to the tariffs and non-tariff barriers faced by our footwear exports.