TNAG-2710-FCO40-3916-House-of-Commons-Select-Committee-on-Foreign-Affairs-and-Par-1993 — Page 176

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CONFIDENTIAL

Session (largely on account of the Maastricht Bill) which has

reduced the number of Bills that it has been possible to

accommodate this Session and is also likely to delay the start

of the 1993/4 Session until mid-November. Further inroads into

Parliamentary time will be made by the re-timing of the Budget

and Finance Bills under new arrangements.

5. The proposed programme gives a high place (in the "Essential" category) to our chief bid, the Intelligence

Services Bill. In the circumstances, however, it is hardly surprising that other FCO/ODA Bills have not been found a

place. I do not recommend that the Secretary of State challenge this, particularly as it now appears that the privatisation of the Crown Agents can be taken care of under the general De regulation Bill, which is given a top priority place in the "Programme" category. The Secretary of State

might rather reserve his fire for improving the chances of other Bills put forward by colleagues in which there is a strong FCO interest, but which are not found a place in the programme. Chief amongst these is the Chemical Weapons Bill (ratification of the CW Convention; DTI) [and the Arms Trafficking and Transfer of Arms Technology Bills ????].

6. On the EC, there are places for a Finance Bill (to give

effect to a new Own Resources Division) as well as a European

Economic Area and a European Parliament Elections Bill

CONFIDENTIAL