HC Deb 04 July 2002 vol 388 c588W
Matthew Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when Ministers in her Department have held meetings with Ministers and officials of the Irish Government since 1 June 2000; when and where each meeting took place; which Ministers were involved in each meeting; which Irish Government Departments were involved in each meeting; and which Ministers and officials from the Irish Government attended each meeting. [63074]

Mr. Morley

DEFRA Ministers meet fairly regularly with Irish Ministers in the margins of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment Councils and in other international meetings.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with Joe Walsh last November. He was accompanied by John Malone (Secretary General of AFRD); Bart Brady (Assistant Secretary General); Mr. Seamus Healey (Assistant Secretary General); Mr. Colm Gaynor (CVO) and Pat Lynch (Agriculture Counsellor at the Irish embassy).

In February the Minister for the Environment, my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher), chaired a BIC (E) meeting in Edinburgh. Sue Essex, Noel Dempsey (Environment) and Joe Jacob (Public Enterprise RoI) were in attendance.

I met with Mr. Frank Fahey at DEFRA offices in December. Ammon Confrey (Private Secretary), Sarah White (Deputy Secretary General) and Cecil Beamish (Principal Official) were in attendance.