To ask the Prime Minister if he will appoint an adviser to take part in talks on the EU constitution and on agreeing a new political declaration of the EU’s purpose, as requested by the Chancellor of Germany. (115134)

At the request of the German presidency, we have appointed two senior officials to liaise with the presidency in their consultations in preparation for the Political Declaration and over possible ways to take the constitutional process forward. These are currently Mr. Kim Darroch (my EU adviser and head of the Cabinet Office European Secretariat) and Ms Nicola Brewer (Europe director general in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office).