35 Mr. Hilliard asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the Bilderberg conference. [8277/96]

I understand that the Bilderberg Group was formed in 1954, at the Hotel de Bilderberg in the Netherlands, to provide a forum for informal, off the record discussions on political, economic and military issues of mutual concern between politicians, scholars, businessmen and trade union leaders from Europe and North America. It organises an annual conference which takes place in a different country each year. In recent years the conference has taken place in Switzerland, Finland and Greece, and this year's conference will take place in Canada.