§ 24. Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how often has(a) he and (b) his Under-Secretary attended meetings of the (i) Agriculture, (ii) Justice and Home Affairs, (iii) Environment and (iv) Transport Councils of Ministers in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001; and if he will make a statement. [76081]
§ Peter HainNeither my predecessor nor the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has attended any meetings of the Council of Ministers.
Clearly there is a limit to the number of people who can participate in any one delegation. Where council meetings cover issues of particular interest to the devolved administrations, the priority must be to accommodate Ministers from the devolved Administrations wherever possible.
Assembly Ministers have attended numerous council meetings as part of the UK delegation, including seven meetings of the Agriculture Council and one Environment Council.
The Government are committed to involving the devolved Administrations in formulating the UK's policy position in Europe, wherever appropriate.