HC Deb 15 October 1969 vol 788 cc396-7
26. Mr. Biffen

asked the Secretary of State for Defence what proposals he has to develop nuclear and conventional military co-operation with signatory States of the Treaty of Rome.

Mr. Healey

The European Economic Community is not a defence institution. We work towards closer co-operation in European defence matters within the framework of the Alliance and we have made important progress during the last two years.

Mr. Biffen

As a great deal of stress is now being laid on the supposed political advantages of joining the Common Market, and defence is one aspect of political involvement, would it not be helpful to the House if the right hon. Gentleman gave us some idea of what prospects he thought there were for nuclear co-operation with the signatory States of the Treaty of Rome, and particularly Germany?

Mr. Healey

The hon. Gentleman does not attend defence debates as regularly as do some other hon. Members. If he did, he would know that I have dealt at length with this problem on at least two occasions in earlier debates this year. I hope that he was present during my exchange with hon. Members who raised the question of Anglo-French co-operation. The important question is that we are developing extremely intimate links with the non-nuclear European members of the Alliance through the Nuclear Planning Group of N.A.T.O. It would be disastrous to jeopardise the progress made in this connection by discussing the establishment of some nuclear arrangement outside N.A.T.O.

Mr. Heffer

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many hon. Members on this side of the House who are supporters of Britain's entry into the E.E.C. do not, nevertheless, in any circumstances wish it to be a condition of entry that we should have any nuclear arrangements with Europe?

Mr. Healey

I do not fully understand the purport of my hon. Friend's statement. We are, of course, deeply engaged in nuclear co-operation with all our allies in N.A.T.O., because nuclear weapons are an essential element of the strategy of N.A.T.O. But I understand very well what I take it my hon. Friend was meaning to say—that he would not wish entry into the Common Market to be conditional upon the establishment of a European nuclear force.