I think that er that is a question better directed towards the French, possibly my colleagues in the foreign office but my understanding is that the French assembly have indeed er approved ratification er but the French government i is declining er to append the appropriate signatures to it er er until agreement over the erm the parliament building at at Strasbourg is completed erm but my honourable friend I think in true  parliamentary form, asks questions to which he already feels he knows pretty well what the answer is and I suspect that my answer squares with what he knows already.