Written question asked by Ian Davidson (Labour) on Tuesday, 1 February 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 5 April 2005. It was answered by Denis MacShane (Labour) on Tuesday, 5 April 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what factors informed his choice for the question in the referendum on the EU Constitution.

Answer: Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors informed his choice for the question in the referendum on the EU Constitution. [214335] Mr. MacShane: The question was drafted bearing in mind the Electoral Commission's published guidelines, which are designed to ensure that a question is intelligible. The Electoral Commission's published views on the noble Lord, Lord Blackwell's Private Member's Bill of July 2004 were also taken into account. The wording of the question was agreed collectively at ministerial level.

Secondary information