If he will make a statement on the impact of the outcome of the non-agricultural market access negotiations at the World Trade Organisation on British trade and industry.

The non-agricultural market access negotiations are an integral element of the Doha development agenda.

Does not the Minister agree that, at the request of countries such as the United States, Korea and China, one impact of the NAMA negotiations might be the curtailment as non-tariff barriers of measures such as energy saving labelling and safety testing on imported foods? Far from being a win-win situation, as the Secretary of State assured Ann McKechin it was, that might lead to the undermining of sustainability, consumer safety and consumer choice.

I assure the hon. Gentleman that nothing happening in the NAMA negotiations presents any real threat on those issues. Our aim in the negotiations is to achieve progress similar to the progress that we are now seeing in agriculture and to reduce tariffs—

There has been no progress.

The hon. Gentleman may say that, but the second European offer made by Commissioner Mandelson proposed an average tariff reduction on agricultural products of 39 per cent., which is more than was achieved in the Uruguay round. That is a serious offer. What we need now, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said, is similar progress on NAMA and services, so that we can reduce tariff barriers and increase world trade in a way that will benefit both developing and developed countries

My hon. Friend is right to recognise that although there has been a great deal of focus on agricultural products, NAMA and services are important. Will he give us an assurance that in those discussions, the British Government will not force countries to privatise services that they do not want to privatise—that we will give a guarantee that they can decide about water and other public services in their country, and do what is in the best interests of their people?

My hon. Friend makes an important point, which has been raised by many non-governmental organisations. I can assure him that the UK's position is clear and has been stated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on a number of occasions. There is nothing in the negotiations to force countries to privatise anything. What we want to see from the NAMA negotiations is a liberalisation of world trade, which would benefit developing and developed countries. That will be a priority in the negotiations.