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Sustainable Development

26. Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to promote the sustainable development of the UK's poorest trading partners. [66398]

Ms Hewitt: The Government's key objectives for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August include: poverty eradication through sustainable development; promoting the integration of environmental issues into nationally owned poverty reduction strategies; working for sustainable prosperity by using resources more efficiently; and enhancing access to sustainable energy.

In addition, we will use WSSD to reaffirm the EU's commitment to the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) so as to add momentum to the negotiations in the WTO. These include negotiations to provide substantial improvements in market access for developing countries; to reduce, with a view to phasing out, all forms of agricultural export subsidies; and to make substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic agricultural support.

Massey Ferguson (Coventry)

28. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance she has provided to keep the Massey Ferguson tractor plant in Coventry open. [66400]

Alan Johnson: Over a number of years Massey Ferguson has been aware of the Government programmes, such as Regional Selective Assistance, for which it has been eligible to apply. Its last application for Regional Selective Assistance was in 1988 and the final payment of the £750,000 grant was made in January 1994.

BNFL

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place in the Library a copy of the conclusions reached by Andersen in their commissioned role as joint reporting accountants and assessors of BNFL's finances; when the reports were first delivered to her Department; and if she will make a statement. [67641]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 10 July 2002]: No. Andersen's findings were delivered to the Department and BNFL in a number of presentations and reports during the time they carried out the work from August 2000 to September 2001. The work is commercially confidential.

Arms Exports

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has held with the Secretary of State for International Development regarding arms export licence grants to (a) India and (b) Pakistan since December 2001. [65444]

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Nigel Griffiths: Internal discussion on export licence issues are exempt from disclosure under Part II, Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

GATS

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the GATS consultation process will include publication of the text of the requests made (a) by and (b) of the EU. [67595]

Ms Hewitt: No. We do intend to publish a consultative document this autumn that seeks views on the requests that have been made of the EC and member states, to the extent that these affect the United Kingdom. And a summary of the EC's requests to other WTO members has already been put on the DTI and European Commission websites http://www.dti.gov.uk/worldtrade/service.htm and http:// europa.eu.int/comm/trade/services/gats_sum.htm. But we will not be publishing the texts of the requests.

It is important for coherence that the European Commission and member states operate on the same basis. Commissioner Lamy has indicated in a recent reply to an open letter from a number of civil society organisations, "It is my aim to be as transparent as possible with all stakeholders, but an appropriate balance must be struck between transparency and our ability to negotiate in an atmosphere conducive to frank and open discussions. I believe that an appropriate balance has been struck and that there are ample opportunities for all interested parties to provide meaningful input if they so desire." (The full text of this letter can be found at http:// europa.eu.int/comm/trade/services/plreply.htm.)

We must also respect the confidentiality that other WTO members require of us in relation to their own requests of the EC and member states.

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, in the GATS negotiations, a country may reverse the commitment at any stage after committing a service sector to be liberalised under GATS; and if she will make a statement. [67594]

Ms Hewitt: Any WTO member may modify or withdraw any liberalisation commitment it has listed in its GATS schedule of commitments, in accordance with the time limits and other provisions of Articles XXI and X of the Agreement.

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the GATS consultation process will include consideration of its impact on development; and if she will make a statement. [67592]

Ms Hewitt: My Department's consultation on the GATS negotiations will primarily concern the requests which the European Community will receive from other trading partners and the potential economic and legislative impact on the United Kingdom from meeting such requests. However, we have frequently said that we fully recognise the importance of the development dimension to these negotiations and will certainly cover this in our consultation.

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what negotiating requests the EU is making of other countries and trading blocs in the GATS

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negotiations; if the development effects are considered before requests are made; and if the record of that consideration is publicly available. [67599]

Ms Hewitt: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for South Swindon (Ms Drown) on 8 July 2002, Official Report, columns 671–72W.

Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she plans to meet the Local Government Association to discuss GATS; and if she will make a statement. [67593]

Ms Hewitt: My officials are already in contact with the Local Government Association over a meeting to discuss the GATS negotiations and are currently awaiting their confirmation of a mutually convenient date. However, on 8 May the Local Government Information Bureau did attend a meeting of the Trade Policy Consultative Forum chaired by my right hon. noble Friend, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, the focus of which was the GATS negotiations. The LGA were invited to that meeting also, but were unable to attend.

Staff Numbers

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff were employed by her Department on (a) 2 May 1997 and (b) 31 May 2002. [60922]

Ms Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 13 June 2002, Official Report, column 1402W.

Public Companies

Mr. Burnett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on securing independent non-executive directors for quoted public companies; and if she will make a statement. [68248]

Miss Melanie Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, together with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has asked Derek Higgs to conduct an independent review of the role and effectiveness of non-executive directors, including the issue of independence.

Derek Higgs issued a consultation document in early June and he is expected to produce his report around the turn of the year.

Accounting Standards

Mr. Burnett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on accounting standards and compliance where a multi-national holding company is registered in a low compliance country and its shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange; and if she will make a statement. [68251]

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.

Accountancy standards requirements for foreign- registered companies whose shares are listed on the London Stock Exchange's main market are governed by the Listings Rules administered by the UK Listings Authority.

These rules require compliance with UK GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), US GAAP or the accountancy standards of the state where the company

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is incorporated. However, the UKLA can require International Accounting Standards to be applied if it is not content that the home state accountancy standards in place are sufficient to protect investors' interests.

Slightly different rules apply to non-listed securities.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has for UK accounting standards when international harmonisation occurs. [65608]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 1 July 2002]: On 7 June 2002 The Council of Ministers gave final approval to a Regulation that will require all UK companies listed on a regulated market in the EU to prepare their consolidated accounts, from 2005, on the basis of the accounting standards issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The Regulation will apply directly to companies and does not need to be implemented by national legislation.

The Department will be publishing a consultation document in the next few months.

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