To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure that world trade rules do not prevent developing countries from using targeted interventions to support (a) their infant industries and (b) vulnerable producers. [120157]

WTO rules already allow developing countries considerable freedom. In particular, Article XVIII of the GATT allows developing countries to use a wide range of measures to protect infant industries (and has often been used in the past) and Article 27 of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM) exempts developing countries with a GDP of less than $1,000 per head from certain disciplines of the Agreement. There are no plans to tighten these provisions.However, although developing countries may choose to support their infant industries and vulnerable producers with subsidies and protect them from competition with high tariffs and non-tariff barriers, the evidence suggests that the success of such protection is