Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether it is Government policy to link an extension of the Generalised System of Trade Preferences for Bangladesh to further improvements in that country's garment sector on factory safety and labour rights.

Duty-free, quota-free access to European Union (EU) markets is granted to Bangladesh on the basis of need in line with agreed EU regulations. These trade preferences have no expiry date, so an extension is not required, and there is no provision for the use of additional conditionality. Any reduction in Bangladesh's market access would result in immediate and long-term harm to the livelihoods of poor Bangladeshi workers.

The UK Government supports the approach reflected in the ‘Bangladesh Sustainability Compact’ between the Government of Bangladesh, the EU, the USA, Canada and the International Labour Organization, which commits Bangladesh to improvements in occupational health and safety and respect for labour rights. UK officials are working closely with counterparts in Bangladesh to co-ordinate action to improve safety and labour rights in the country’s garment sector and DFID is supporting a number of programmes in this area.