To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many agreements were reached between the UK Government and foreign powers in 2001; and of those, how many were agreed without Parliament being informed. [99917]

The negotiation and conclusion of international legally-binding agreements is a function of the executive. Such agreements are subsequently laid before Parliament as a Command Paper and, where the Ponsonby Rule applies, accompanied by an explanatory memorandum.Thirty five such agreements were signed by the United Kingdom in 2001, of which nine are yet to be published.