European Union (Amendment) Bill

I shall give way to Members when I reach the end of this section, and I shall start with the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory), who serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee. The Government also believe that Europe needs to reform its voting system to take account of enlargement. The treaty finally does that. In future, population size as well as the number of states is important to decision making. That will raise the proportion of votes in UK hands from 8 to 12 per cent. Furthermore—and to pick up on an earlier point—let me set out the facts on qualified majority voting. Sixteen of the changes either do not apply to the UK or apply only if we agree, because they concern economic and monetary union, of which we are not a part, or justice and home affairs, on which we have the ability to opt in or out. [Interruption.] For as long as necessary: as I shall explain in detail, we will have the right to choose on all justice and home affairs measures. Fourteen of the QMV changes are purely procedural; for example, they address how we appoint members of the EU's Economic and Social Committee, or provisions relating to the effect of the past division of Germany. In 20 areas, the changes offer faster decision making where that is in the UK's interests, such as on energy liberalisation, where the chairmen of Centrica and the National Grid Company have said that the Lisbon treaty"““will be a way of circumventing cases of protectionism””," on aid to disaster zones, where representatives of 350 development non-government organisations have said that the treaty can"““deliver a stronger poverty focus and greater coherence in””" the EU's"““development and humanitarian work””," and on strengthening the EU's research and innovation capability, which will be of benefit to UK universities and research institutes. I am now happy to give way to the right hon. Member for Wells.