§ Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates the EU treaties on simplified extradition procedures, Europol, the customs information system and protection of the communities' financial interests were(a) agreed in principle, (b) signed, (c) ratified and (d) came into force; and on what dates copies of the agreed texts were made available to the House. [909]
§ Miss WiddecombeThe convention on simplified extradition procedures was agreed and signed by Ministers at the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 10 March. The conventions on Europol, the customs information system and protection of the communities' financial interests were agreed by Heads of Government at the Cannes European Council on 26 and 27 June and signed by European Union ambassadors on 26 July. The United Kingdom Government have yet to ratify any of the conventions. In each case, they will enter into force three months after the last member state to ratify a particular instrument has notified the Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union that the necessary domestic procedures have been completed.
In accordance with the arrangements for scrutiny of work under title VI of the treaty on European Union, the Government submitted draft texts of these conventions for examination by the Home Affairs Committee and the Select Committee on European Legislation. A copy of the 221W extradition convention was sent to the Library on 30 March. I regret that texts of the other conventions were not deposited in the Library at the time of their signature, but this has now been done.