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World Trade (Doha Development Agenda)

I join the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds) in congratulating the International Development Committee on its report and on securing this debate. I pay particular tribute to the right hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce) for the way in which he chairs the Committee and for the way in which he introduced the debate. As he said, it is timely, and I shall add a second reason why that is the case. On Monday, the European Union’s General Affairs and External Relations Council meets for the first time, I believe, since the World Trade Organisation talks were suspended. The Finns, who currently hold the presidency of the European Union, have decided to bring Trade Ministers and Development Ministers together for the first time. It will be a unique setting, bringing together Ministers who normally operate separately, and providing an opportunity for them to speak with different voices. Trade Ministers and Development Ministers will be in the same room. Those talks will take place on Monday, and the WTO talks will be very much on the agenda in those discussions, which represent the first opportunity for Europe to come together and begin to think through what needs to happen if we are to get the talks back on the road. Therefore, in that context, this debate is particularly timely.