§ 2.47 p.m.
§ LORD CRATHORNEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what obligations the United Kingdom would assume to provide civil and military information if the Government were to accede to the Euratom Treaty.]
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)My Lords, the Euratom Treaty does not require member States or their nationals to disclose to the Euratom Commission or other member States the results of their own atomic research and development programmes. There are provisions to encourage dissemination within the European Atomic Energy Community of information about the peaceful uses of atomic energy. Except for information owned or acquired by the Commission under its own research programme these provisions in general depend on voluntary co-operation. In certain limited circumstances the Euratom Commission can order a compulsory licence to be granted for the use of a patent. If this power is used, the person granted the licence must pay compensation to the patent holder. The amount is assessed, at the patent holder's choice, either by an arbitration committee set up under the Treaty or by the national authorities in the patent holder's country.
Member States and their nationals are required to disclose to the Commission details of new investment projects in the civil nuclear field and of the operations of their civil nuclear establishments. Information about the investment projects can be published only with the consent of the person or enterprise communicating it. The Lord Privy Seal made it clear in his opening statement in the Euratom negotiations on July 3 that we are proceeding on the assumption that we shall not be required to disclose or permit the disclosure of classified defence information to the Euratom Commission or to other member States.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I suppose that covers all the present members of Euratom, including France?
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords, what I said covers everybody.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I think I will postpone any further question until I have studied more carefully the Answer of the noble Viscount, because I am rather intrigued by what may happen in view of statements by the President of the French Republic. I will have another look at it.