§ Lord Juddasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps are being taken to ensure that the proposed "Ruggiero special preferences" for developing countries are fully taken into account in the OECD negotiations on any multilateral agreement on investment.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Clinton-Davis)Her Majesty's Government have supported a proposal that least developed countries should have bound zero tariffs within the WTO. This could contribute towards the creation of a more stable investment climate for those countries. While the MAI is not itself designed for the economic and institutional constraints of these poorest developing countries, we are using our best endeavours to ensure that their needs are taken into account.