Ministerial Meetings

Oral Answers to Questions — Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs – in the House of Commons at 1:46 pm on 15 January 1997.

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Photo of Michael Fabricant Michael Fabricant , Staffordshire Mid 1:46, 15 January 1997

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet his counterparts from the United States of America and former dominions to discuss greater integration within the framework of the World Trade Organisation. [9248]

Photo of Malcolm Rifkind Malcolm Rifkind Foreign Secretary

I am planning to meet my American and Australian counterparts soon to discuss a variety of issues.

Photo of Michael Fabricant Michael Fabricant , Staffordshire Mid

Is my right hon. and learned Friend aware that the United States and the former dominions—Australia, Canada and New Zealand—not only share a common language and a common legal system, which makes business so much easier between them, but are going through a period of growth, in contrast with continental Europe, which is experiencing decline? Does he agree that the last thing that companies in my constituency, such as Fairmile Fencing, which exports to the United States of America, and people at work in my constituency want is, first, a trade war between the European Union and the United States and, secondly, a Labour Government who would surrender the four areas of veto that we currently have and create in the United Kingdom the levels of unemployment that are currently being suffered in Europe?

Photo of Malcolm Rifkind Malcolm Rifkind Foreign Secretary

I am certainly clear in my mind that companies throughout the United Kingdom, including the one to which my hon. Friend referred, welcome the breakdown of economic trade barriers between north America and western Europe and are conscious of the fact that the United Kingdom leads Europe in reducing unemployment and providing job opportunities for its people.

Photo of Denis MacShane Denis MacShane , Rotherham

Is it not a fact that, at the world trade conference, Great Britain and the United States found themselves on opposite sides of an important fence? The United States wanted the World Trade Organisation to set up a working party on child labour and the British Government sided with authoritarian countries that said that child labour should not be discussed. May I invite the Foreign Secretary, in his last few weeks of office, to consider donning the mantle of William Wilberforce? As Wilberforce led a great campaign to outlaw slave labour in the last century, let Britain take a lead in campaigning against and outlawing child labour in the next century.

Photo of Malcolm Rifkind Malcolm Rifkind Foreign Secretary

The British Government have a position that has been agreed with all our European partners; the United Kingdom does not stand alone on this issue. We deplore, as much as the hon. Gentleman does, the use of child labour. It has been pointed out that these are issues for which the International Labour Organisation exists, and should be raised with it. It is not sensible, in our judgment, or in the judgment of most other countries, to be tempted into dealing with these matters via the World Trade Organisation. That organisation has important responsibilities, as has the ILO. Those respective responsibilities should be recognised.