§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the principle of subsidiarity in article 3(b) proposed by the Maastricht treaty can be used retrospectively.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesAlthough as a matter of law, article 3(b) applies prospectively, there is nothing to prevent the application of the principle in that article to a review of existing Community measures. The Birmingham declaration notes that the first results of such a review will be examined at the Edinburgh European Council.