Lords EU Committee to hold double evidence session with David Lidington

The evidence will start with a session focused on the conclusions of the December European Council.  This will include questions on the Government's progress in persuading other Member States of the need to restrict migrant workers access to benefits, and the flow of migration of EU workers.

In the Committee's second session with Mr Lidington the focus will shift onto the Committee's inquiry into the role of national parliaments in the EU. The issue has been raised recently by a letter from backbench Conservative MPs to David Cameron asking for a right of veto over EU directives for national parliaments. The session will include questions on how the current ‘yellow card' process can be improved, whether national parliaments should have the right to initiate European legislation and how the European Commission can be encouraged to take the views of national parliaments into account when formulating policy.

The first evidence session will start at 4.10pm on Tuesday 14 January; the second session will follow the first and is expected to start around 4.50pm.  Both will be in Committee Room 4 of the House of Lords.

The session will be webcast at www.parliamentlive.tv and is also open to the public. Journalists wishing to attend should go to Parliament's Cromwell Green Entrance and should allow time for security screening.