Since 15th May, 1951, the date of the last meeting of the Consultative Assembly, the Standing Committee has met three times.
The primary object of the Committee's meeting on 16th May, 1951, was to explore the possibilities of giving effect to the Assembly Resolution moved b y M. Paul Reynaud to the effect that members of the Congress of the United States be invited to meet a delegation from the Consultative Assembly.
The Committee held a long discussion on the subject.
Lord Layton offered to make a private trip to sound American opinion on the proposed meeting ; the Standing Committee gratefully accepted this offer.
The, Committee also decided to instruct the Secretariat-General to draw up a Report to serve as a basis for the discussions between the Americans and the Europeans.
At a second meeting of the Committee on 1st August, Lord Layton reported on the results of his mission to Washington, in the light of which the Committee took the following decisions :
It resolved to propose that this meeting be held at Strasbourg.
With regard to the composition of the Assembly delegation, Lord Layton having stated that Congress was expected to appoint a delegation of 7 Senators and 7 Representatives, the Committee decided to nominate a delegation composed of Representatives and Substitutes— whose credentials had been duly verified at the opening of the Third Ordinary Session of the Assembly—as follows :
France, Italy, German Federal Republic, United Kingdom - Two members each, one representing the party or parties in power, the other the opposition party or parties ;
Benelux - Two members, one of them being the President of the Assem- My ;
Scandinavian countries - Two members ;
Turkey, Greece - One member each.
The Committee further authorised the President to add three or four more Representatives to the Assembly delegation should, it prove difficult to balance the parties or nationalities equitably, provided that the members of the American Congress had no objection.
After examining questions of procedure, and information in connection with the conference, the Standing Committee decided that the President, accompanied b y Lord Layton and the Secretary-General and, if necessary, by a third Representative appointed by the President, should proceed to Washington to meet the members of Congress and arrange with them the details of organisation for the forthcoming conference.
At this same meeting the Standing Committee decided to transmit to the Joint Committee, for the information of the Committee of Ministers, a proposal to invite the Overseas Parliaments to send observers to the second part of the Third Ordinary Session of the Assembly.
Lord Layton having brought to its notice the case of Mr. Oatis, Associated Press correspondent in Prague, the Committee decided to submit Lord Layton's suggestions to the Bureau.
M. Bidault and Sir David Maxwell Fyfe having resigned from the Joint Committee, the Standing Committee appointed M. de Menthon and Mr. Macmillan in their place.
Having before it a proposal to invite the Parliament of the Austrian Republic to send observers to the second part of the Third Ordinary Session of the Consultative Assembly, the Committee decided to transmit this proposal to the Joint Committee, for the information of the Committee of Ministers, and, provided that the latter raised no objections, to send an immediate invitation to the Parliament of the Austrian Republic. In the event of the Committee of Ministers rejecting the proposal, through its representatives on the Joint Committee, the invitation would be withheld until the Assembly was able to examine the question itself.
The Committee referred to the Committee on Social Questions the Motion submitted by M. Kapani on the subject of the protection of children in the event of war (3rd Session : Doc. 14) and to the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions the second Motion of M. Kapani relating to the protection in the event of war of objects of artistic or historic value (3rd Session : Doc. 15).
The Committee examined a preliminary list of questions for inclusion in the Agenda of the second part of the Third Ordinary Session, and decided, at M. Serrarens' request, to add two further items : " Progress Report on the European Code of Social Security and Recommendation concerning the adoption of a common social policy (Report of the Committee on Social Questions) " as also " Housing (Report of the Committee on Social Questions). "
Finally, the Standing Committee decided to call the attention of the Joint Committee to the question of the participation of the Assembly in the drafting of agreements between the Council of Europe and other international organisations.
During its third and last meeting, the Standing Committee duly approved the draft Report above.