§ Mrs. ShephardTo ask the Prime Minister if he will define the terms of reference of the new Joint Consultative Cabinet Committee. [10580]
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 25 July 1997]: Terms of reference will be announced to the House in due course.
§ Mrs. ShephardTo ask the Prime Minister what are the precedents for the new Joint Consultative Cabinet Committee; what will be its membership; who will provide the secretariat; what charge it will make on public funds; how often it will meet; to whom it will report, and at what intervals; and if he intends that it should serve for the duration of this Parliament. [10582]
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 28 July 1997]: There are several precedents for the new Committee, including the 1931 Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence. A later example was the Sub-Committee on Air Defence Research (1935–37). The membership of the Committee will be announced in due course. The secretariat will be provided by the Cabinet Secretariat. Costs related to the Committee are expected to be small and will be met from existing resources. The Committee will meet on a regular basis and, like other Cabinet Committees, its deliberations will be reported to Cabinet as necessary. I expect it to continue indefinitely.