Annex 8: Letter from Sir Alan Beith, Chair of
the Justice Committee
"Thank you for your letter of 17 December asking
for my Committee's views on the importance of proposals contained
in the European Commission's Work Programme for 2015.
"I note that the two new initiatives for 2015
coming under the broad heading of Area of Justice and Fundamental
Rights, on EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights
and on a European Agenda on Security, are likely to be primarily
of interest to other committees, such as the Joint Committee
on Human Rights, the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Home Affairs
Committee. It is always possible that, as fuller details emerge,
elements of these initiatives may prove of concern to my Committee,
or to the Justice Committee in the next Parliament.
"In terms of continuing initiatives on the agenda
of the European Commission, you are aware of course of my Committee's
conclusions, and in some cases concerns, about the data protection
framework package, which remain under negotiation at European
level. Finally, although my Committee has not reached any formally
agreed views on the proposal for a European Public Prosecutor's
Office, which the European Commission is continuing to pursue,
I believe most colleagues share my concerns about the proposal.
I would expect the Justice Committee in the next Parliament to
maintain an interest in both these subjects."
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