asked Her Majesty’s Government:

When they next plan to meet the Government of France to discuss European Union issues of mutual interest.

My Lords, United Kingdom Ministers and officials are in close contact with their French counterparts on a range of issues. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has met President Sarkozy on two occasions since his election. The Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe have met their counterparts. The Minister of State for Immigration and Asylum and I will go to Paris on 18 June to meet, among others, the French Minister for Immigration, Integration and National Identity, Brice Hortefeux. The Prime Minister will see President Sarkozy again at the European Council on 21 to 22 June.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. In the press interviews that President Sarkozy gave recently, he expressed the hope that the incoming British Prime Minister would be a very good European and strong and positive on leading European issues. Will the Minister confirm that the new Premier Gordon Brown will be constructive and bold on European issues? In the context of boldness, what would the Minister outline as the leading salient issues where, when he gets the opportunity after the summit at the end of June, Gordon Brown could be constructive and bold, such as QMV, for example?

My Lords, I do not have the smallest doubt that the incoming Prime Minister will be constructive on this as on every issue. I know that in President Sarkozy he has an opposite number who respects him; indeed, when they served as finance Minsters together, he expressed that sentiment. The entire range of issues are bound to be discussed, but I know that enlargement, trade and the common agricultural policy will be among them.

My Lords, there have been one or two minor disagreements with our French partners over the past centuries, but does the Minister agree that, with the election of a pragmatic new French President, the stage is set for enhanced bilateral co-operation on matters such as immigration and military procurement? This can be enhanced, in the European Union context also, with benefit to third areas such as Africa, where because of our mutual colonial experience both France and the UK have much to contribute to the improvement of development.

My Lords, I was trying to think of an occasion when we did not agree with the French in the past 100 years. It is hard to recall, but we disagreed with them rather more in previous centuries.

There is no doubt that we are improving our work on Africa now, and it will continue to improve. We are seeing much more openness in discussions on Somalia, Darfur and other very troubled regions. That will be one of the purposes that I shall pursue in Paris on 18 June.

My Lords, perhaps I may give the Minister an opportunity to answer a question which he did not get round to answering in our debate last Friday. Given that the whole ill fated project of the European Union is largely inspired by France’s deep psychotic need to bite the hand that freed her in two world wars, what is France’s current attitude to collaboration with our greatest ally, the United States of America, and indeed with NATO?

My Lords, when he was an election candidate, President Sarkozy was very clear about wanting to see a significant development in France’s relationship with the United States. Describing a nation that we fought alongside during the Second World War and which suffered terribly in that period as “psychotic” does nothing for the dignity of this House.

My Lords, as a Francophile, may I ruefully remind my noble friend that the Duke of Wellington once said that,

“we always have been, and I trust we always shall be, detested in France”.

One can understand occasionally why the French might have been irritated by us. Will the Minister use all his splendid powers of diplomacy to establish that that is no longer the position, if it ever were, of Her Majesty’s Government, and develop the entente as we would all wish it to be?

My Lords, we most certainly will do that. There are so many areas where co-operation would be of vast benefit to this country that it would be foolish to do otherwise. In the early discussions with Bernard Kouchner and others, we are seeing a much more open and fruitful approach to questions that were a little difficult in the last of the Chirac years.

My Lords, do the Government have any plans to explain in more detail to the British people the depth of the military co-operation between Britain and France that we have achieved in recent years?

My Lords, I am sure that as the arrangements get deeper and improve we will do that. I hope that over the next months, let alone years, we can make progress, particularly on some of the tricky issues around trade and the common agricultural policy, difficult as I know that will be for the French. If I am candid about it, I think we will have much greater difficulty in the discussion on at least some parts of enlargement, but in all of this, there has to be a dialogue that the people of this country are party to.

My Lords, the Minister mentioned enlargement. Can he say what the attitude is towards Turkey joining the European Union? Mr Sarkozy is on record as being doubtful about the wisdom of supporting Turkey, and we differ somewhat in that view.

My Lords, President Sarkozy is clear that he is not in favour of that enlargement, but we are a long way from the point at which any decisions have to be taken. He has made it clear that his views will not stop the chapter discussions that are taking place in many of the key areas. We should all regard ourselves as having a desirable goal but playing it long.

My Lords, further to the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, would the Minister care to enlighten the House about the attitude in Washington to our increasing involvement with the European Union in defence matters, particularly in procurement, and our involvement with the French in that area?

My Lords, I do not think there is any hostility to the collaboration. From the example of the aircraft carriers, there is no doubt whatever that people are looking on it favourably.