§ Q4. Mr. Eadieasked the Prime Minister how far matters affecting the coal industry in Great Britain will constitute major or minor decisions in relation to negotiations for entry into the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. George BrownI have been asked to reply.
252 I do not, Sir, expect coal to give rise to any major issue in the negotiations but if my hon. Friend has any particular point in mind perhaps he would let my right hon. Friend the Minister of Power know of it.
§ Mr. EadieIs my right hon. Friend aware that the Question was sparked off by the Prime Minister himself making a statement to the House that there would be major and minor decisions? Might I make my right hon. Friend aware of the fact that many miners in this country do not share the Government's enthusiasm for entering the Common Market, and that his Answer today will not allay their fears?
§ Mr. BrownSpeaking as a Member with quite a large number of miners in his constituency—indeed, without them I would not be here; they just about equal my majority—my impression is that it depends on how the case is put to them as to what decision they come to. Seriously, however, while there are major, and, as my hon. Friend said, minor questions at issue, our information, both about our own industry and its likely trends, and about the coal industry on the Continent and its likely trends, suggests to us that the coal problem is not one of the major issues.
§ Mr. Edwin WainwrightIs my right hon. Friend aware that the heavy social obligations borne by the National Coal Board at the moment may be increased if we go into the Common Market, and does not he agree that it is time the Government took over the full financial cost of these obligations?
§ Mr. BrownI do not think that the latter half of the question arises out of the Question on the Order Paper. As to the first part, the answer is that it will involve some changes in the Board's pricing policies, and some problems about the E.C.S.C. levy, and so on, but we do not think that these raise major difficulties.
§ Q6. Mr. Winnickasked the Prime Minister if he will make a progress report on the British application to join the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. George BrownI have been asked to reply.
253 Her Majesty's Government have no further statement to make to the House at this moment.
§ Mr. WinnickCan my right hon. Friend say whether it is now likely that the negotiations will actually start to enter the Community? If they start, do the Government intend to have some kind of time limit, say by the end of the year? Finally, can my right hon. Friend say whether serious consideration will now be given to the possibility of associate membership for Britain if this is offered to us?
§ Mr. BrownOn the first part of the question, I have every reason to hope and believe that our application will be discussed at the meeting of the Council of Ministers which takes place early in June. We shall know more about the starting time for negotiations after that.
As to whether we would set a time limit, I do not think that the public announcement of such a decision at this moment would be a very happy way of beginning the procedure. With regard to the third part of the question, my right hon. Friend and I have both said in this House and elsewhere that an arrangement which gave us many, if not all of the obligations, and hardly any, and possibly none, of the possibilities of changing the situation, would not be a very reasonable or happy one for us.
§ Mr. Frederic HarrisIf such progress was able to be made by the Government, would not they regrettably have to admit that at the moment President de Gaulle does not appear to have moved his ground one iota from the stand he took previously?
§ Mr. BrownI have no way of knowing what the hon. Gentleman's sources of information are, but from what reaches me I would not go along with him.
§ Mr. HeathThe right hon. Gentleman is aware that the Prime Minister has appointed to lead the delegation and to take part in the negotiations a Minister who is not a Member of this House. Can he say who will give a detailed account of the day-to-day negotiations to the House?
§ Later—
§ Mr. HeathWhen I asked just now who was to report to the House of Commons on the European Community negotiations the Foreign Secretary said that he had a Question on the Order Paper in reply to which he could give an answer to that supplementary question. In fact, it is not the same question that I asked. Will he now answer Question No. Q15?
§ Mr. ShinwellOn a point of order—
§ Mr. SpeakerI think that it would help the House if I conveyed to the Foreign Secretary the information that I think that I know the point of order that the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) wishes to raise.
§ Mr. ShinwellMy point of order is this—if it is a point of order: I deferred my Question earlier in the day.
§ Mr. SpeakerThat is why I allowed the right hon. Member for Easington to have precedence over the Foreign Secretary.
§ Mr. HeathIf the Question has already been withdrawn, was it not improper for the Foreign Secretary—[Interruption.] I withdraw the word "improper". Was it not disingenuous of the Foreign Secretary to give that as a reason for not answering the supplementary question?
§ Mr. BrownThat is one reason why I sought your permission to rise to the right hon. Gentleman's point of order, Mr. Speaker. I did not know that the Question had been withdrawn until just now. As I understand the rules of the House, it would have been out of order for me to anticipate an answer to a Question on the Order Paper, in reply to an earlier supplementary question. I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will withdraw what he said. I was neither improper nor disingenuous. I was conforming to what I understand to be the rules of order of this House.
§ Mr. HeathIf my question had been improper you would have ruled it out of order, Mr. Speaker. As it was allowed, it was quite proper for the Foreign Secretary to answer it, and I suggest that he does so now.
§ Mr. BrownSince these exchanges are likely to go on, may I ask for your Ruling, Mr. Speaker? After 20 years or more in the House, am I not right in understanding that it would be out of order for me to anticipate a later answer in replying to a previous supplementary question?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe right hon. Gentleman is quite right—
§ Sir J. Langford-Holt rose—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am ruling on a point of order. The hon. Gentleman must contain himself. The right hon. Gentleman was asked a question in answering which he thought he would anticipate a later Question on today's Order Paper. I gather from what he said that he did not then know that the right hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell) had withdrawn his Question. This is the state of the game at the moment.
§ Mr. HeathThe question I asked is not the one that appears later on the Order Paper. I asked who will report to the House of Commons. The House knows who is handling the negotiations. A public statement has been made to that effect. I am asking the Foreign Secretary a question dealing with progress reports on the application to join the European Economic Community, namely, who will report to the House of Commons on these matters?
§ Mr. BrownI am sorry, but I still regard the right hon. Gentleman's original question—not his present rephrasing of it—as raising the issues involved in Question No. Q15. For that reason I did not answer it at the time. I have not sought your permission to answer it out of order, Mr. Speaker—and I could not, since it has been withdrawn. I therefore suggest that the right hon. Gentleman arranges for his question to be put on the Order Paper.
§ Sir Harmar NichollsAs the only victim of this misunderstanding appears to be the House of Commons, is there no way, even now, of the supplementary question put by my right hon. Friend—which is different from the one on the Order Paper—being answered, as it would have been in the ordinary working of Question Time?
§ Mr. SpeakerMinisters are not compelled to answer questions. The hon. Member knows that.