Foreign Secretary Written Ministerial Statement on the Balance of Competences of the European Union
Full text of the Foreign Secretary's statement updating Parliament on the Balance of Competences of the European Union.
I wish to inform the House that, further to my oral statement at the launch of the Balance of Competences Review (Official Report 12 July 2012, Column 468), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is today publishing the timetable for the review including departmental responsibility for the reports into each individual area of competence.
The review will complete its work during 2014 and will look at the scope of the EU’s competences (the power to act in particular areas conferred on it by the EU Treaties) as they affect the UK, how they are used, and what that means for Britain and our national interests.
The review will be divided into four semesters, each containing six to ten reports. This will allow reports on related topics to be grouped together. The reports from each semester will be published at the end of that semester. If necessary, changes to this timetable will be made in order to take account of any events which could impact upon the timing of a report.
The Semesters are:
- Semester One: Autumn 2012 - Summer 2013
- Semester Two: Spring 2013 - Winter 2013
- Semester Three: Autumn 2013 - Summer 2014
- Semester Four: Spring 2014 - Autumn 2014
The first semester reviews will be:
- an overview on the Single Market;
- taxation;
- animal health and welfare and food safety;
- health;
- development; and
- foreign policy.
The Single Market encompasses such a broad area of competence that it is being split, with further reports on the four freedoms - goods, persons, services and capital - in semesters two and three.
Departments will take a rigorous approach to the collection and analysis of evidence. The government department leading each review will, at the appropriate time, publish a Call for Evidence which will set out the scope of their report and include a series of broad questions on which they would like contributors to focus.The Calls for Evidence for first semester reports will be published shortly and will be available through the FCO website and through the website of the department leading each review.The reports into the first six competences will be published in the summer of 2013, along with the evidence received (subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act).
Government departments will consult widely, including Parliament and its committees, business, the Devolved Administrations, and civil society in order to obtain evidence to contribute to their analysis of the issues. Our EU partners and the EU institutions will also be invited to contribute evidence to the review.
The result will be a comprehensive, thorough and detailed analysis of where competence lies and what it means for the United Kingdom. It will aid our understanding of the nature of our EU membership; and it will provide a constructive and serious contribution to the wider European debate about modernizing, reforming and improving the EU.The review will not produce specific policy recommendations.
I am placing the timetable in the Library of the House.It will also be published on the Balance of competences review pages on Foreign & Commonwealth Office website.
Report Title
Departmental lead
Semester 1 (Autumn ‘12 - Summer ‘13)
1
Internal Market: Synopsis
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
2
Taxation
HM Treasury
3
Animal Health and Welfare and Food safety
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
4
Health
Department of Health
5
Development
Department for International Development
6
Foreign Policy
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Semester 2 (Spring ‘13 - Autumn ‘13)
7
Internal Market: Freedom of movement of Goods
HM Revenue & Customs
8
Internal Market: Free movement of persons
Home Office
9
Asylum and Immigration
Home Office
10
Trade and Investment
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
11
Environment
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
12
Transport
Department for Transport
13
Research and Development
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
14
Tourism, Culture and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
15
Civil Justice
Ministry of Justice
Semester 3 (Autumn ‘13 - Spring ‘14)
16
Internal Market: Services
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
17
Internal Market: Capital
HM Treasury
18
EU Budget
HM Treasury
19
Cohesion
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
20
Social and Employment
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
21
Agriculture
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
22
Fisheries
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
23
Competition
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
24
Energy
Department of Energy and Climate Change
25
Fundamental Rights
Ministry of Justice
Semester 4 (Spring ‘14 - Autumn ‘14)
26
Economic and Monetary Union
HM Treasury
27
Health & safety and consumer protection
Health and Safety Executive
28
Police and Criminal Justice
Home Office
29
Education
Department for Education
30
Enlargement
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
31
Administrative cooperation, citizenship, information rights and statistics.
Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Justice, UK Statistics Authority
32
Subsidiarity, Proportionality and Article 352
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Note: This order and sequencing may be subject to change as the review progresses