Draft Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2015 Debate

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Department: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Ann Clwyd Portrait Ann Clwyd (Cynon Valley) (Lab)
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It is a pleasure to speak under your chairmanship, Mr Gapes. Normally, we are on another Committee together, but I am very pleased to see you on this one.

I have one or two questions for the Minister. Paragraph 7.5 of the explanatory memorandum says:

“Her Majesty’s Treasury has policy responsibility for the Bank.”

I would like him to explain what “policy responsibility” means.

Paragraph 7 of the explanatory memorandum says that

“the Bank will focus largely on investment in infrastructure sectors such as transport, energy and water across members of the bank from that region.”

I notice that one of the countries that have already signed the agreement—one of the 57 prospective founder members—is Myanmar. One thinks of the needs within Myanmar, particularly the needs of people such as the Rohingya, who are being persecuted in that country, and whether they will be considered when infrastructure investments are made in transport, energy and water. If policy responsibility means influencing decision making, as I assume it does, I would be interested to hear the Minister’s plans.