HC Deb 17 July 2003 vol 409 cc518-9W
Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received regarding accession by China to the World Trade Organisation; and if she will make a statement. [126576]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

The People's Republic of China joined the World Trade Organisation on 11 December 2001.

Mr. Edwards

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to take steps in the next round of WTO negotiations to improve access to patented drugs in the developing countries. [126375]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

The Government consider it important to find a solution to the outstanding issue from Doha on TRIPS and public health at or before the forthcoming WTO Ministerial in Cancun in September. The issue centres on how countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity in the pharmaceutical sector can make effective use of the compulsory licensing provisions of the WTO TRIPS Agreement. We are therefore working with partners to secure a solution which will be acceptable to all participants.

Mr. Edwards

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to take steps in the next round of WTO negotiations to prevent subsidised EU products being dumped on developing countries. [126371]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

All WTO members are committed to negotiations aimed at reducing, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies and significantly reducing trade-distorting domestic support. I will be pushing for agreement on how to implement this and all other elements of the Doha mandate on agriculture at the next WTO Ministerial this September. As part of the WTO agriculture negotiations, the EU has already offered to reduce its trade distorting domestic support by 55 per cent. and export subsidies by 45 per cent. In addition it is pressing for proper controls on the use of food aid and export credits to prevent these being used as a form of export subsidy.

Mr. Edwards

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to take steps in the next round of WTO negotiations to protect sugar producers in developing countries from competition from subsidised sugar production in the EU. [126370]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

All WTO members are committed to negotiations aimed at reducing, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies. I will be pushing for agreement on how to implement this and all other elements of the Doha mandate on agriculture at the next WTO Ministerial this September. As part of the WTO agriculture negotiations, the EU has already offered to reduce its export subsidies by 45 per cent. In addition it is pressing for proper controls on the use of food aid and export credits to prevent these being used as a form of export subsidy.

The UK will also continue to press for early and radical reform of the EU sugar regime in line with other recent CAP reforms.