§ 38. Dr. GodmanTo ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 415, what recent representations he has received about the modus operandi of European Standing Committees A and B; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MacGregorI have recently seen copies of several Members' submissions to the Procedure Committee's first stage review of the operation of the revised scrutiny arrangements. I look forward to receiving the Procedure Committee's report soon and shall consider carefully any recommendations it might contain about the operation of the new European Standing Committees.
§ Dr. GodmanFollowing Maastricht, is it likely that the modus operandi of those Committees will change? Will there be an increase or decline in the work load? Several of the permanent members of those Committees feel that changes must be made in terms of both of the permancy of the chairmanship and of the need to provide specialist advisers to those permanent members.
§ Mr. MacGregorIt is too early to say whether there will be an effect following Maastricht. The Committee is considering both the specific points that the hon. Gentleman made, and I expressed my own views on them to the Committee in my oral evidence.