§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters he has received since 4 January 1990 from Members of the European Parliament concerning local or national matters; and if he will make it his practice where the former are concerned to provide the hon. Member for the local constituency with copies of any such correspondence for his or her information.
§ Mr. Peter LloydBetween 5 January 1990 and 7 March 1991 we received 187 such letters from Members of the European Parliament. As I explained in my reply on 4 April 1990, at column638, to a question from the hon. Member for Bolton, South-East (Mr. Young), where Members of the European Parliament raise matters that are exclusively of local interest, the practice is to reply suggesting that the MEP should refer the matter to the hon. Member for the constituency concerned. As to other correspondence, replies would normally be copied to the hon. Member concerned only if the MEP had himself copied his letter in this way.