§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of the unexplained death in prison last month of Mr. James Nichols and the continuing gross violations of human rights in Burma, they will support Denmark's request for the revocation of Burma's access to the European Union's Generalised System of Preferences.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyWe are not aware of any Danish request for the EU to withdraw Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) status for Burma.
However, the European Commission is already undertaking an enquiry, in relation to GSP, into allegations of forced labour in Burma. We await the outcome of the Commission's investigation, which could possibly recommend to the Council that GSP preferences for Burma are suspended in whole or in part.