The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1990-1997

1994Prime Minister (1990-1997)

PMQT Written Answers – 30 June 1994

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Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 30th June 1994.

PRIME MINISTER:

 

EC President

Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Prime Minister;

(1) if he will make it his policy not to agree to any change in the procedure for choosing a President of the European Commission which would directly or indirectly remove or restrict the requirement for consensus;

(2) if he will make it his policy not to agree to the appointment as a member of the European Commission any person who has not made it clear that he is opposed to any further transfer of power from Whitehall and Westminster to Brussels and Strasbourg;

(3) if he will make it his policy not to agree to the appointment as President of the European Commission of a person with known federalist views;

(4) if he will make it his policy not to agree to the appointment as a member of the European Commission of any person who has advocated the transfer of responsibility for monetary and exchange rate policy to the EC and its institutions.

The Prime Minister : I shall continue to insist that the President and other members of the Commission are appointed by common accord of the Governments of the member states, as the treaty requires. I shall consider candidates for the Presidency of the Commission on their merits.

 

Engagements

Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 30 June.

Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 30 June.

The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

 

Lockerbie

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what response Her Majesty’s Government have given to lawyers of the two Libyan suspects of the bombing of Pan Am 103 who have made representations to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the statement of Youssef Chaabane in a Beirut court that he planted the bomb.

The Prime Minister : We have received no such representations.

 

Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill

Mr. Berry : To ask the Prime Minister when the Government decided to oppose the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill at Report stage.

The Prime Minister [holding answer 14 June 1994] : The Government made clear their doubts about the Bill as a whole at Second Reading and on other occasions, but we had also indicated that we would see what, if any, parts were appropriate to take further. In the event, debates during Committee confirmed our doubts, and the Government explained the reasons why they were unable to support the Bill at Report stage on 6 May.