§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the European Communities working groups which met over the last 12 months with a representative from his Department in attendance; if he will list the number of times each met; if he will indicate the nature of the Government's representation; and if he will make a statement. [88483]
§ Mr. RookerOfficials from my Department regularly attend working groups in Brussels. These working groups comprise: Council working groups; Commission working groups; and Committees involved in matters relating to agriculture and rural development, the majority of which are management committees for common market organisations.
Statistics are retained for a six monthly period. During the last six months, my Department was represented at some 350 working groups (by some 750 officials in total). A similar number of working groups would have taken place in the previous six months.
We attach a great deal of importance to UK representation at these groups, which both undertake technical work on EU legislation which will apply in the UK and handle the day-to-day management of markets.