§ Mr. SpringTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Minister for Europe next intends to visit(a) Brussels, (b) Strasbourg and (c) Luxembourg; and how many visits the Minister has made to those cities since his appointment. [96581]
§ Mr. MacShane[holding answer of 10 February]: I went to Brussels on 24–25 February for a meeting of the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC); and am due to travel to Luxembourg on 14–15 April for a further GAERC meeting. I also hope to be able to visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg during the coming months.
In my three and a half months in this job, I have already travelled twice to Brussels and once to Strasbourg to attend a session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly.