HC Deb 09 March 1959 vol 601 cc870-1
25. Mr. J. Silverman

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the joint declaration of the British and Soviet Prime Ministers on the desirability of expanding cultural cooperation between the two countries, the Government are now prepared to give favourable consideration to the proposals of the Soviet Government for a cultural co-operation treaty on the lines of those already concluded with the United States and France.

Mr. R. Allan

As hon. Members will be aware, representatives of the Soviet Relations Committee of the British Council, led by their Chairman, the hon. Member for Woolwich, East (Mr. Mayhew), will shortly visit Moscow to arrange a programme of cultural, educational, scientific and technical exchanges between this country and the Soviet Union. Such an arrangement, together with those exchanges which it is hoped will be made privately and commercially, is more likely in our opinion, to give results than treaties to which the hon. Member refers.

Mr. Silverman

Whilst it is hoped that the efforts of the Committee which is going to Moscow will be successful, may I ask whether there is any objection to putting these arrangements on a treaty level, as has already been done between America and the Soviet Union and France and the Soviet Union?

Mr. Allan

There are really two answers to that question. The first is that we believe it is more practical to make these arrangements at working rather than at Governmental level. That is why we are backing the Soviet Relations Committee's delegation to Moscow. Secondly, we have the Soviet Relations Committee, whereas neither France nor the United States have a counterpart in any way.

28. Mr. Rankin

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of the declaration by the British and Soviet Prime Ministers about the desirability of expanding trade and cultural relations between the two countries, he is now prepared to give favourable consideration to the proposals to this effect first made in April, 1956, by the Soviet Government to the Economic Commission for Europe of the United Nations and since maintained and amplified.

Mr. R. Allan

These proposals, in the form of a draft treaty covering a large number of subjects, and expressed in the main in general terms, were thoroughly discussed by the Commission at its meeting in the spring of 1957. The Commission decided that the Soviet proposals could best be studied by its technical committees and invited the Soviet Government to put its proposals to them. A number of the proposals have already been the subject of useful work.

Mr. Rankin

While thanking the hon. Gentleman for that answer, may I ask whether he would agree generally that, since the Prime Minister has agreed that a trade arrangement is desirable, the arrangement ought to be on the widest possible basis? Secondly, in view of the fact that on the cultural side the Government have accepted the working level approach as being the best, why does it operate so slowly as compared with the Government level approach in the case of the United States of America and France?

Mr. Allan

In reply to the second part of the question, it is not for me to compare these things, but if the hon. Member will look into the matter he will find that the treaties have not resulted in any great practical results. We hope that we can get far more practical results by the forthcoming visit of the Soviet Relations Committee. As to the trade side of the question, the hon. Gentleman knows that we are about to send a trade mission to Moscow, and I should have thought it was better to go step by step and get the best possible rather than the widest possible result.