§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what issues within the remit of his Department are to be the subject of negotiation at the Nice Inter-Governmental Conference. [134785]
§ Mr. StrawMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has overall responsibility for Inter-Governmental Conference issues, which are expected to be concluded at the European Council in December in Nice.
The scope of the conference and the Government's position on the main issues was set out in the Government's White Paper—"IGC: Reform for Enlargement", in February 2000. The Home Office has a direct interest in several of the treaty changes which are being proposed, in particular some of those related to any extension of qualified majority voting.