Oral Answers to Questions

Nic Dakin Excerpts

Wednesday 26th October 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Mitchell]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The whole of our development budget is spent in Britain’s national interest, and a large chunk of it goes to support our own security and prosperity here at home. Somalia is one of the most dysfunctional countries in the world. It is a classic example of a failed state where, because we were unable to tackle the causes of deep poverty, we are now dealing with the symptoms of both poverty and deep insecurity.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

9. What steps his Department is taking to promote fair trade projects in developing countries.

[Steve Rotheram (Liverpool, Walton) (Lab)]

12. What steps his Department is taking to promote fair trade projects in developing countries.

[The Minister of State, Department for International Development (Mr Alan Duncan)]

DFID believes that people can never escape poverty without the opportunity to produce and trade freely. By promoting open markets and a strong framework for international trade, we are helping to support fair market access for poor people. We aim to double the number of fair trade certified producers to 2.2 million by the end of 2013, and to improve working conditions in global supply chains.

[Nic Dakin]

I thank the Minister for his response. What steps is he taking to ensure that the Doha round of talks is completed and that a fair deal on trade will be achieved for developing countries?

[Mr Duncan]

That is an essential objective for the entire Department. International progress towards the conclusion that we would like to see is proving somewhat difficult, but we will continue our great effort to try to secure an improved trading environment for the world.