§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Prime Minister if he will indicate in respect of the planning of joint military action378W by member states, what person, other than the Prime Minister, or his representative sitting in the European Council, will be responsible for committing military forces of the United Kingdom to armed action. [139058]
§ The Prime MinisterThe European Council at Helsinki decided that all member states would be entitled to participate fully, and on an equal footing, in all decisions and deliberations of the Council and Council bodies on EU-led crisis management operations. The Council also decided that commitment of national assets by member states to such operations will be a sovereign decision. In the United Kingdom, the Government will continue to be answerable to Parliament for the deployment of British troops.