HC Deb 17 December 1964 vol 704 cc544-7
15. Mr. Webster

asked the President of the Board of Trade how often the permanent body of the European Free Trade Association, set up to watch the operation of the import surcharge and the Government's efforts to abolish it, is to meet.

25. Mr. Ridley

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give details of the measures for European Free Trade Association surveillance of the economy of the United Kingdom, to which Her Majesty's Government agreed at the recent meeting of the Council.

Mr. Jay

At their recent meeting, Ministers decided to set up a permanent Economic Committee of senior officials from capitals in order to consult on all aspects of all Member States' economic and financial policies and not merely those of the United Kingdom. The Working Party preparing a report for the next Ministerial meeting on the United Kingdom's economic measures is a temporary body.

Mr. Webster

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, despite what several of his right hon. Friends have said, a number of us on this side defended, for technical reasons, what was done in the 15 per cent. surcharge at the meeting of E.F.T.A. Parliamentarians, but that what was very much deplored at Strasbourg this time was that there was no Minister there and no Minister offered by the British Government? Does he realise that it was repugnant to us when the Economic Committee had to insist on a Minister being sent out, and will he ensure that there is better co-operation and consultation in the future?

Mr. Jay

I do not think that Ministers have a monopoly of wisdom. I assure hon. Members that at the Ministerial Council at Geneva there were, appropriately, two Ministers present.

Mr. R. W. Elliott

When the right hon. Gentleman arrives in north-east England—I am delighted to know that he is going there later today—will he make urgent inquiry into the possibility of Engineering Production Ltd. of Clevedon, which has a factory at Prudhoe, Northumberland, losing a valuable contract with the Volvo Co., of Sweden, as a direct consequence of the surcharge?

Mr. Jay

I am going to the North-East later tonight. I have looked into this matter and I will continue to do so when I reach the North-East.

Mr. Gresham Cooke

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, in very difficult circumstances immediately after the election, several hon. Members on this side of the House did their best to defend the Government in this difficult situation? Will he also note that the E.F.T.A. Parliamentarians, apart from ourselves, expected that the imports surcharge would be taken off in a matter of months—by spring or the early summer at the latest?

Mr. Jay

I fully accept the phrase "in a matter of months", but I do not accept the gloss the hon. Gentleman has put on it.

23. Sir C. Osborne

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will have placed in the Library of the House a copy of all the speeches made recently by the United Kingdom delegation at the meeting of European Free Trade Association ministers.

Mr. Jay

I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State on 15th December to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mr. Hastings).

Sir C. Osborne

Those Answers were quite unsatisfactory. As the right hon. Gentleman's right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is being blamed, probably unjustly, for starting a run on sterling because of his alleged alarmist reports to E.F.T.A. Ministers, in justice to his right hon. Friend will the right hon. Gentleman let us see what he did say? If the Foreign Secretary made those alarmist reports, he is a very bad servant of the Crown, and if he did not, it is not right that he should be blamed for them. What is the right hon. Gentleman afraid of?

Mr. Jay

I myself made about a hundred speeches on that night, and I think that the hon. Gentleman would spend most of his Christmas Recess reading them if they were to be published. The fact is that these discussions were confidential, but I am happy to say that they achieved the desired result, which was that other members of E.F.T.A. decided against any form of retaliation against British exports, which is what we sought.

Mr. Gresham Cooke

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I and other hon. Members are surprised that he has not expressed gratitude to hon. Members on this side of the House for what they did at the meeting of E.F.T.A. Parliamentarians? Is he also aware that when I said earlier that it was the other Parliamentarians who expected that these surcharges would be taken off in a matter of months, I meant that they specifically said that they expected that they would be taken off by the summer?

Mr. Jay

I am very glad to express gratitude to the hon. Gentleman. Gratitude has been defined as lively anticipation of favours to come.

Mr. Burden

Surely it is in the interests of the Government to publish these transcripts, as the resentment against Government action is only now beginning to arise in E.F.T.A. countries with the end of the backlog of orders and as they await new orders. The resentment is now being felt among ordinary people. If the Government could say that the Governments of those countries sympathise with their action, would not that be helpful?

Mr. Jay

As the hon. Gentleman knows, our action in this respect was publicly praised immediately afterwards by the right hon. Member for Barnet (Mr. Maudling). If the hon. Gentleman does not know that, he had better read HANSARD. There is an obligation on members of E.F.T.A. not to break confidence about these discussions afterwards, and that obligation we propose to observe.

Sir C. Osborne

On a point of order. In view of the very unsatisfactory nature of that reply, I shall seek your permission, Mr. Speaker, to raise the matter on the Adjournment at some time.