§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his oral statement of 27 October,Official Report, columns 583–84, concerning the constitutional issues relating to European economic and monetary union, if he will list the issues; what published sources Ministers of the Crown assessed in reaching their conclusions; what consultations they had with constitutional lawyers concerning their assessment; and if he will place in the Library the written documents relating to that assessment. [15031]
§ Mr. Gordon BrownAs I said in my Statement to the House, joining the single currency would involve a pooling of national sovereignty in relation to aspects of economic and monetary union pursuant to the relevant provisions of the Treaty of Rome as amended by the Treaty of Maastricht. Provided this step was endorsed by Parliament in accordance with the provisions of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993 and had been endorsed by the people in a referendum, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I are satisfied that there is no overriding constitutional bar to participation by the United Kingdom in stage 3 of economic and monetary union.