asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement about the representation of the European Commission in Northern Ireland.

The European Commission opened an information office in Belfast on 29 May. It has a staff of three, shortly to be increased to four. The office carries out similar work in Northern Ireland to that done by the commission's information offices in Scotland and Wales.There will be a formal ceremony in the autumn at which the office will be opened officially by the President of the Commission, Mr. Roy Jenkins.