§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of European Union Council meetings held in each year from 1979 to 1996, indicating the number(a) attended by Ministers from the Scottish Office and (b) at which Ministers from the Scottish Office are minuted as having spoken. [13892]
§ Mr. Kynoch[holding answer 31 January 1997]: The information is as follows:
Total number of Council Ministers meetings1 Scottish Office Minister attendance 1979 60 — 1980 63 — 1981 62 — 1982 70 — 1983 80 — 1984 80 — 1985 73 — 1986 79 — 1987 81 — 1988 77 5 1989 87 4 1990 91 4 1991 84 5 1992 90 8 1993 98 8 1994 94 8 1995 81 7 1996 88 15 1 Information obtained from the press office of the Council of the European Union. Records of the meetings attended by Scottish Office Ministers between 1979 and 1988 were not collated and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The records of Council meetings do not attribute individual contributions.