§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions since 1983 Her Majesty's Government have been judged by the European Court of Justice to have been in breach of European Community directives; and what that number represents as a percentage of(a) cases brought against the United Kingdom and (b) cases won by a plaintiff or plaintiffs.
§ Mr. Douglas Hogg[holding answer 8 June 1993]: The United Kingdom was held to be in breach of the relevant directives in six out of 12 direct actions—50 per cent.—brought before the European Court of Justice by the Commission since 1983, in accordance with article 169 of the treaty of Rome, involving allegations that the United Kingdom was in breach of its obligations under EC directives.
Further details of cases brought against the United Kingdom are contained in the six-monthly White Papers on developments in the European Community, which also contain details of references to the European Court of Justice from United Kingdom courts under article 177 of the treaty.