§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate the average proportion of the agenda for European Union Council meetings attended by his Ministers which change in the period between his monthly announcement of the proposed agenda and the actual meeting. [82296]
§ Ms QuinThe agendas for EU General Affairs Councils (GACs) are subject to changes in the run-up to the meetings: Ministers often need to react quickly to events. Over the last six months, I estimate that the agendas for the GACs have changed by up to 50 per cent. between the monthly announcements and the actual meetings.
As part of the Parliamentary process, my department provides the Scrutiny Committees with updated agendas for the GACs two weeks in advance of the meetings, which are updated thereafter if there are further significant changes.