A Citizens' Agenda

Part of Orders of the Day – in the House of Commons at 2:50 pm on 26 October 2006.

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Photo of Graham Brady Graham Brady Shadow Minister (Europe) 2:50, 26 October 2006

The internal management may well need changes, but it is also important that the EU seeks to do less so that it can cope with its existing agenda. A central problem is that the EU is failing to make the necessary progress in matters such as energy policy in the single market precisely because its ambitious political agenda is diverting attention from the things that matter. However, our highest priority is to remove social and employment regulation in this country from European control and bring it back under British control. That would be an important start in the process that the hon. Gentleman has in mind.

The national debate called for in the document entitled "Plan D for Democracy" was never allowed to happen in this country. The Finnish presidency has called for new powers over our police and courts. "A Citizens' Agenda" calls for

"an initiative to improve decision taking and accountability in areas such as police and judicial co-operation and legal migration".

What do the Government think about that? I have asked that question repeatedly, but received no clear answers.