Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether WTO rules permit subsidies being paid to businesses taking part in online trade shows.

The WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM)?applies to trade in goods only and prohibits two types of subsidies – those contingent on export performance,?and those contingent on the use of domestic over imported goods.?All other subsidies may be permitted, but if another WTO member can show that they have caused adverse trade effects, they can raise a dispute with the WTO dispute settlement body and seek removal of the subsidy or impose countervailing duties.