Written question asked by Allan Rogers (Labour) on Wednesday, 19 July 2000, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 26 July 2000. It was answered by Patricia Hewitt (Labour) on Wednesday, 26 July 2000 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what criteria he uses to determine whether a trade body is representative of an industry and should be consulted in the formulation of a policy decision; what his policy is in determining whether a trade body is representative of an industry; what percentage of an industry must a trade body represent to be considered representative of that industry.

Answer: Mr. Rogers: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what criteria he uses to determine whether a trade body is representative of an industry and should be consulted in the formulation of a policy decision; [132261] (2) what his policy is in determining whether a trade body is representative of an industry; [132262] (3) what percentage of an industry must a trade body represent to be considered representative of that industry. [132263] Ms Hewitt: It is not the place of the Government to tell industry how to organise its own representative bodies. However, in the Best Practice Guide for the Model Trade Association the Government have identified the key characteristics that we feel trade associations should have as representatives of their industry. They should represent the whole of a commercial or industrial sector and seek to cover all products, services and processes. They should also ensure that their members represent a substantial proportion of the sector (both in terms of output and members). Furthermore, before consulting trade associations or any other organisations representing industry, the Government is guided by the Code of Practice (How to conduct written consultation exercises) issued by the Cabinet Office, which sets out the guiding principles for effective consultation.

Secondary information