Select Committee on Foreign Affairs Sixth Report


Formal minutes


Wednesday 19 July 2006

Members present:

Mike Gapes, in the Chair
Mr Fabian Hamilton

Mr David Heathcoat-Amory

Mr John Horam

Mr Eric Illsley

Mr Paul Keetch

Andrew Mackinlay

Sandra Osborne

Mr Greg Pope

Mr Ken Purchase

Sir John Stanley

Ms Gisela Stuart

Richard Younger-Ross

The Committee deliberated.

Draft Report (Developments in the European Union), proposed by the Chairman, brought up and read.

Ordered, That the Chairman's draft Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.

Paragraphs 1 to 9 read and agreed to.

Paragraph 10 read and postponed.

Paragraphs 11 to 13 read and agreed to.

Paragraph 14 read, as follows:

In May 2006, the then Minister for Europe, Douglas Alexander, told us that,

I would argue that in what was ultimately agreed among the heads of government at the December European Council and what is now being followed through in the institutional process, we achieved what many regarded as being very unlikely, which was to find the common ground and consensus on the issue of the European budget.

The final verdict on whether the deal reached on the budget was a good one for the United Kingdom and, indeed, for the European Union as a whole, will have to await the outcome of the mid-term review of the CAP and other expenditure.

Amendment proposed, to leave out lines 7 to 9 and to insert the words "The deal reached on the budget has not clarified the mechanism of EU funding or ended the capricious nature of national contributions. The certainty of higher UK net contributions has brought only the possibility of substantive CAP reform in the mid term review."—(Mr David Heathcoat-Amory)

Question put, That the Amendment be made.

The Committee divided.

Ayes, 3

Mr David Heathcoat-Amory

Mr Paul Keetch

Sir John Stanley

Noes, 6

Mr Fabian Hamilton

Mr Eric Illsley

Andrew Mackinlay

Sandra Osborne

Mr Greg Pope

Mr Ken Purchase

Paragraph agreed to.

Paragraphs 15 to 32 read and agreed to.

Paragraph 33 read, amended and agreed to.

Paragraphs 34 to 62 read and agreed to.

Paragraph 63 read, amended and agreed to.

Paragraphs 64 to 92 read and agreed to.

Paragraph 93 read, amended and agreed to.

Paragraphs 94 to 106 read and agreed to.

Postponed paragraph 10 again read, amended and agreed to.

Resolved, That the Report be the Sixth Report of the Committee to the House.

Ordered, That the Chairman do make the Report to the House.

Ordered, That the provisions of Standing Order No.134 (Select committees (reports)) be applied to the Report.

Several Papers were ordered to be appended to the Minutes of Evidence.

Ordered, That the appendices to the Minutes of Evidence taken before the Committee be reported to the House.—(The Chairman.)

[Adjourned till Two o'clock on Wednesday 18 October.


 
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