LETTER TO CHAIR OF SELECT COMMITTEE

 

Dear

 

The xxxx select committee is charged with oversight of legislation, policy and regulation in the areas of xxxxx

 

Current negotiations to extend the General Agreement on Trade in Services at the World Trade Organization will directly affect the authority and autonomy of governments to pursue such measures in most services related to your area of responsibility.

 

I am writing to ask:

 

  1. What action your committee has taken to establish the implications for its areas of responsibility of the existing GATS rules’

 

  1. What action your committee has taken to establish the implications for its areas of responsibility of the ‘requests’ from other WTO members that New Zealand commit many more services to coverage of the GATS and agree to significant new ‘disciplines’ on domestic regulation of services;

 

  1. What advice you have been given by the relevant ministries on these implications; and

 

  1. What action your committee proposes to take in relation to this matter, in light in particular of the deadline of 31 March 2003 for the tabling of initial ‘offers’ to commit new services to the GATS rules.

 

Yours sincerely,