§ Mr. Richard PageTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the Internal Market Council held on 30 November.
§ Mr. MaudeThe Council, at which I represented the United Kingdom, reached agreement on directives on the approximation of the laws of member states relating to the type approval of wheeled agricultural or forestry tractors; the permissible sound power level of lawnmowers; the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous preparations; and on the transparency of member states' measures regulating the pricing of medicinal products for human use. The Council also adopted decisions to accept on behalf of the Community certain annexes of the international convention on the simplification and harmonisation of Customs procedures — the Kyto convention.
Subject to a United Kingdom parliamentary scrutiny reserve the Council reached agreement on the substance of a regulation determining the persons liable for payment of a Customs debt. The Council also discussed proposals for directives on non-life insurance services, on the mutual recognition of member states' professional qualifications, on the approximation of member states' laws on cosmetic products, on good laboratory practice and on procedures for the provision of information by member states on new technical standards. Also discussed were proposals for Community regulations on the control of concentrations between undertakings—the "merger control" regulation —and member states' laws on trade marks.