10. It is in the nature of the Committee's subject
area that valuable information may often be obtained more readily
in private exchanges than in public. While we endeavour, in the
tradition of select committees, to place as much of our evidence
as is possible in the public domain, informal private meetings
form an important part of our work. During the course of the Session
the Committee held 32 informal meetings. They were as follows.
Date |
Meeting with
|
Subject |
17 July 1997 |
Hungarian State Secretary, Foreign Ministry
|
NATO Enlargement
|
21 July 1997 |
Polish Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Defence
|
NATO Enlargement
|
22 July 1997 |
Academics |
Strategic Defence Review
|
23 July 1997 |
Former Committee members and Former Advisers
|
How the Committee works
|
22 October 1997 |
The US General Accounting Office
|
Gulf War Illnesses
|
11 November 1997 |
Mr de Puig, President of the WEU Parliamentary Assembly
|
NATO Enlargement
|
18 November 1997 |
US Senators |
Strategic Defence Review
|
25 November 1997 |
Czech Parliamentary Defence Committee
|
NATO Enlargement
|
27 November 1997 |
Ministry of Defence |
Chinook Helicopter Crash
|
26 November 1997 |
Hungarian State Secretary, Foreign Ministry
|
NATO Enlargement
|
1 December 1997 |
Members of the Office of the UN High Representative to Bosnia Herzegovina
|
Bosnia |
11 December 1997 |
Defence Minister of Ukraine
|
NATO Enlargement
|
5 February 1998 |
Huntings plc |
Procurement
|
5 March 1998 |
British Aerospace plc
|
Procurement |
17 March 1998 |
Chief of Defence Intelligence
|
Strategic Defence Review
|
24 March 1998 |
Conflict Studies Research Centre
|
Strategic Defence Review/NATO Enlargement
|
23 March 1998 |
Czech Defence Committee
|
NATO |
24 March 1998 |
Members of Standing Committee on Military Matters of Bosnia Herzegovina
|
Bosnia |
25 March 1998 |
Ministry of Defence |
Strategic Defence Review
|
7 April 1998 |
Ministry of Defence |
MoD Agencies |
21 April 1998 |
Ministry of Defence |
Defence Estimates |
28 April 1998 |
National Audit Office
|
Major Projects Report
|
19 May 1998 |
Assistant Chiefs of Staff
|
Strategic Defence Review
|
21 May 1998 |
Assistant Chiefs of Staff
|
Strategic Defence Review
|
18 June 1998 |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
|
Arms Control |
1 July 1998 |
Ministry of Defence
|
Strategic Defence Review
|
2 July 1998 |
Ministry of Defence
|
Strategic Defence Review
|
9 September 1998 |
National Security Adviser, Prime Minister's Office, Hungary
|
NATO Enlargement
|
22 October 1998 |
Ministry of Defence |
Operation Resilient |
28 October 1998 |
Ministry of Defence |
Resource Accounting and Budgeting
|
2 November 1998 |
Romanian Defence Minister
|
NATO Enlargement
|
17 November 1998 |
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
|
Central Europe |
11. In the period running-up to the publication of
the Strategic Defence Review, the Committee had sought from the
Secretary of State his authority for private meetings with certain
Assistant Chiefs of Staff. Only after considerable delay was permission
eventually given. The meetings when held were fruitful. We trust
that the experience will persuade Ministers and the MoD that such
sharing of views is mutually beneficial and should be encouraged
rather than inhibited.
