3 Debates on the Floor
15. The Government does not envisage that the creation
of the new Joint European Committee would reduce the need for
debates on the Floor of the House. Nevertheless, we are always
keen to ensure that time on the Floor is used to best effect and
to reassess whether the established pattern of debates still reflects
Members' interest. At present, there are two European debates
in the Chamber each year timed to coincide with the European Council
meetings in June and December. (In addition, there are occasional
EU-related debates in Westminster Hall as need arises.) The rationale
for these two Floor debates is that the House should have an opportunity
to influence the Government's stance at the European Council meetings.
Those Council meetings are then followed by Statements by the
Prime Minister, which attract somewhat wider interest. The
Government would welcome the Modernisation Committee's view on
whether these debates are still appropriate, and of appropriate
length.
16. The Government envisages that there will continue
to be occasional debates on the Floor on EU documents, when these
raise matters of major and widespread interest in the House. The
additional option of holding occasional debates on EU documents
in Westminster Hall is discussed below (paragraph 31).
QUESTIONS
17. An option would be to use the facility for Cross-cutting
Questions sessions in Westminster Hall for Questions on European
matters, perhaps on a regular and established basis. This would
have the benefit of allowing Ministers from different Departments
to be questioned on a European matter which crosses departmental
boundaries. Rather than providing for a general session on "European
matters" (for which it would be difficult to know in advance
which Ministers might be required), it would probably be better
to identify a particular cross-cutting issue, or range of issues,
with a European dimension.
18. It has been suggested that Westminster Hall might
also be used as a forum for questioning European Commissioners.
That is a possibility that would be worth exploring if the two
Houses chose not to proceed with our proposal that European Commissioners
might be questioned in a new Joint European Committee.
| 
