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EU: Codecision (EUC Report)

My Lords, I am grateful to all noble Lords who have taken part in this extremely valuable, full and useful debate. As the noble Lord, Lord Willoughby de Broke, said, when we prepared this report we thought that it was rather technical and did not imagine that it would receive quite as full a debate as we have had today. I am particularly pleased that a number of people who served in Brussels in various capacities have been able to speak. I hope that the Foreign Office will read this debate in Hansard, because it contains the important views of the House. I am grateful for the general tone of the Minister’s speech. He was somewhat limited on one subject. We are not quite clear where we are on limité documents and I found the use of the word "appropriate" rather strange. It is my understanding that when the noble Lord, Lord Hurd, was Foreign Secretary, he gave an instruction that the word "appropriate" should never be used in the Foreign Office because it was one of the ultimate weasel words. That edict has obviously disappeared but it is something which I try to remember. I hope that we will have a clear statement as to which limité documents we have when I receive the letter from the honourable friend of the Minister, the Minister for Europe. The response on the Cabinet Office scrutiny guidance was more encouraging. We look forward to seeing the revised form on the web. I know that on both those points, the noble and learned, Lord Mance, who was particularly concerned about both matters when we were carrying this report through, will be pleased to hear the decisions which were made known.