§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what views have been expressed by Her Majesty's Government in the European Council of Ministers about the additional cost to United Kingdom taxpayers of the continuous rotation of the European Assembly between different venues; and what steps he intends to take to insist upon an early resolution of this matter.
§ Mr. RifkindThis question has been periodically examined by the Council of Ministers, but it remains unresolved. We have drawn the attention of our partners to the additional cost and the reduced efficiency entailed by the lack of a single seat for the European Parliament. Under the treaties, a decision on the seat of the institutions will be taken by common accord of the Governments of member states, though we would think it right for the European Parliament itself to be consulted before a decision was taken.