§ Baroness Burton of Coventry asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Further to their Answer concerning consumer integration in other Community policies (HL Deb. 14th January, col. 1341), what decisions or recommendations have been made by the Council of Ministers on the first report on the integration of consumer policy in the other common policies put forward by the Commission to the Council of Ministers at the end of last year.
§ Lord BeaverbrookMy Lords, it is expected that the Commission's report will be discussed at the next meeting of the Consumer Council on 7th or 22nd June, and that the Council will adopt conclusions on the subject then.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, that is the disappointing Answer we have had for two weeks running. We never seem to make progress. Is the Minister aware that his own department considers the report a disappointing document with no proposals at all for specific action? Does he realise that it was condemned by his department in another place on 11th February when the Minister concerned, by means of a written reply, said:
it is a disappointing report recording little progress".—(Official Report, Commons, 11/2/88; col. 309.]Will the Minister, in view of the widespread disappointment in his own department and elsewhere, produce a better answer than that he has just given?
§ Lord BeaverbrookMy Lords, the noble Baroness is correct. The Government are disappointed that the report reflects little progress. At the next Consumer Council in June the Government will seek to bring pressure on the Commission to show some real progress. I am also aware that the consumer movement, in particular, the Consumers in the European Community Group, has made it clear that it too is extremely disappointed by the report.
§ Baroness Burton of CoventryMy Lords, does the Minister recall that last week his noble friend the Secretary of State told me that his department stood for enterprise? If that is the case, does he feel that it would be possible for the noble Lord, Lord Young, before the next meeting of the Council, to ask that a different report be produced for consideration? It seems a complete waste of time to discuss something which consumer organisations, both here and in Europe, consider to be worthless.
§ Lord BeaverbrookMy Lords, of course I shall pass on the noble Baroness's comments to my noble friend. I cannot promise the action that she requests. We should all like to see more progress made on this subject.