§ Ann ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he intends to hold a public debate on NATO enlargement prior to ratification. [40391]
§ Mr. George RobertsonWe have undertaken to provide time for debates in both Houses before Her Majesty's Government accept the Protocols of Accession208W enabling the accession to NATO of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. The Protocols were tabled with explanatory memoranda by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, on 8 April 1998. We will respond in the normal way to the recent report by the Defence Select Committee. We have also taken steps to increase the amount of information available about NATO and NATO enlargement by establishing web pages on the Ministry of Defence's World Wide Web site at http://www.mod.uk.