§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will deposit in the Library a list of all the(a) current and (b) temporarily suspended working groups of the European Union, listing in each case (i) the mandate of and (ii) the grade of participants in each group; what is on the agenda of each group; which groups have been attended by a United Kingdom Minister for at least one meeting since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement on his policy on openness in such groups. [121511]
30W
§ Mr. VazI refer the hon. Member to earlier questions on this subject from my hon. Friend the Member for Walsall, South (Mr. George), on 9 March 1999,Official Report, column 179W; from the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Boarder (Mr. Maclean), on 22 March 1999, Official Report, column 57W; and from Lord Pearson of Rannock, on 3 December 1998, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA56, and on 5 April 2000, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA137. None of the 28 Common Foreign and Security Policy Working Groups is suspended. The United Kingdom is represented by officials, with the necessary expertise, of varying grade, depending on the importance of the issues being discussed. No Working Group has been attended by a Minister. The Government favour the maximum possible transparency in all areas of EU business, including Common Foreign and Security Policy, and have consequently introduced procedures for the parliamentary scrutiny of all Common Foreign and Security Policy Common Positions and Joint Actions, and other politically important documents. The preparatory discussions within Working Groups are confidential, in order to preserve the negotiating position of the individual member state.