§ Mr. Langasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps His Majesty's Government are taking to publicise the proceedings of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe.
§ Mr. Ernest DaviesThe responsibility for publicising the work of the Council of Europe is primarily that of the Council Secretariat, working in collaboration with the national information services of Member States. From its inception, however, His Majesty's Government have taken an active interest in seeing that information on the work of the Council of Europe is made available both in this country and abroad.
Documentation about the Council of Europe is sent to our information officers in all parts of the world for reference purposes and for distribution to the Press. This documentation, of course, includes items on the work of the Consultative Assembly. In particular the Hansard Society's English language summaries of the Assembly's debates have thus been distributed to information officers in foreign and Commonwealth countries. A substantial order has also been placed for the bound volume edition of these reports, which will be offered to appropriate bodies in foreign countries who might otherwise not receive any reports of the Consultative Assembly's activities.
In this country publicity has been given to the work of the Council of Europe as part of a series of lectures which the Central Office of Information furnish on request to study groups and similar bodies. I should also point out that White Papers have usually been issued after the principal meetings of the Council of Europe, including, of course, those of the Consultative Assembly.