§ Mr. SproatTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what visits he has made to his EC counterparts in each member state to discuss deregulation matters since 18 April; what agreements came out of such meetings; and what plans he has for making further progress in deregulation matters during the United Kingdom presidency of the EC;
(2) what representations have been made by British embassies in the member states of the EC about the removal of unnecessary regulations affecting United Kingdom interests at a national and Community level in the last year;
(3) whether, during the United Kingdom presidency of the EC, he will arrange for a European Council of Ministers meeting to consider how the European Commission's deregulation efforts can be improved.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesThe Lisbon European Council noted the importance of the principle of subsidiarity and invited the Commission and the Council to undertake urgent work on procedural and practical steps to implement the principle. It also called for a re-examination of existing legislation in order to adapt it where necessary to the principle of subsidiarity. We intend to take this work forward during the United Kingdom presidency. There will be an initial discussion in the Foreign Affairs Council on 20 July. The Government intend to ensure that the principle of subsidiarity is respected in all its aspects, including its presumption against over-regulation.