§ Lord Astor of Heverasked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have, at a parliamentary level, to celebrate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale. [HL1308]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)As part of Her Majesty The Queen's state visit to France in April to mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale. the Presidents of the FrenchAssemblée Nationale and the Senat have offered to host a joint reception on 6 April in Her Majesty The Queen's honour in the Senat building, the Palais de Luxembourg. They intend to invite all the French deputés and senateurs. They have indicated that they would like to invite 100 parliamentarians from the UK.
The plan is that two groups—one of around 50 MPs and another of around 50 Peers—could travel to Paris to spend the day with their counterpart House, including perhaps a lunch and an afternoon in the House plenary, before participation in the reception for Her Majesty The Queen.