§ Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Prime Minister what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the Council of Europe's Strasbourg conference 1983; and what part she sees the United Kingdom playing at the conference.
§ The Prime MinisterWe welcome the Strasbourg conference which the Assembly of the Council of Europe plans to hold in 1983. It should help to strenghten the ties between democratic countries. I have no doubt that the Chairman of the two Assembly Committees entrusted with the preparation of the conference, the right hon. Member for Houghton-le-Spring (Mr. Urwin) and my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, Central (Mr. Grant) and other members of the United Kingdom delegation to the Assembly, will do their best to ensure the success of this, the first of a series of such conferences.