§ 3. Mr. John Wilkinson (Ruislip-Northwood)When he last met his counterparts in the European Union to discuss future parliamentary scrutiny of the European security and defence initiative. [15425]
§ The Minister for Europe (Peter Hain)At the General Affairs Council eight days ago.
§ Mr. WilkinsonI did not quite catch that reply, because it was a bit hurried and the Foreign Secretary was removing his brief from the Dispatch Box.
Before the Government come to a judgment, will they examine the performance of the armed forces of European Union countries in the war against terrorism in Afghanistan? Before the intergovernmental conference, will the Government also assess the extremely effective role already played in European security and defence issues by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Assembly of the Western European Union? Surely, the IGC—and not now—is the right time and place to move things forward.
§ Peter HainI acknowledge and pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman's long-standing work as a member of the WEU Assembly and to his expertise in such matters. The issues that he raises are being considered. There is an embryonic European security and defence policy in place in operations in Macedonia, Bosnia and Kosovo where we are co-operating on an ad hoc basis with fellow European armed forces, and commanders from other member states sometimes command our forces. It is working very satisfactorily and we are learning a great deal from it, which will help the European Union to determine exactly 815 how that capability can be made operational and contribute to peacekeeping humanitarian missions and crisis management.
§ Rachel Squire (Dunfermline, West)I thank the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Wilkinson) for raising this issue following a conference that we both recently attended in Brussels.
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the arrangements for national parliamentary scrutiny of European security and defence policy are inadequate and that we are at risk of being overtaken by the European Parliament, which does not appear to want to await the outcome of the IGC? Will he give priority to a full debate on that matter and the relevant Select Committee reports? Will he facilitate a discussion between the relevant Committees and Members of the House on the WEU, the OSCE and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to consider improving our national parliamentary scrutiny of European security and defence policy developments?
§ Peter HainI will certainly consider the points raised by my hon. Friend, whose expertise is also valued by the House. We need to ensure that the initiative receives parliamentary scrutiny, that the discussions proceed and that the issue is addressed in the run-up to the IGC in 2004. We have no intention whatsoever of ceding scrutiny to the European Parliament. This is an intergovernmental matter that concerns the operational capacity of our troops, which is not something that we can cede to the European Parliament. We need national parliamentary supervision and accountability.