§ Mr. MackinlayTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reason reference to the Oxford Forum has been included in the political and economic briefing relating to the USA. [117963]
§ Mr. Vaz[holding answer 6 April 2000]:I regret the administrative error that has led to my hon. Friend receiving an incorrect answer to his earlier question.
The Oxford Forum is a trilateral meeting of parliamentarians and experts from the UK, US and Germany. It was formed as a result of a joint initiative by President Clinton and the right hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Major) in 1995. The event has been previously held in Oxford, Berlin, Harvard and Belfast.
Party whips select the hon. Members of the delegation.
The Oxford Forum is included in the bilateral relations paragraph of the US Political and Economic brief as it forms part of the strategy to strengthen relations between parliamentarians.