§ 4. Mr. Hugh Jenkinsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will undertake that, in negotiations for entry into the Common Market, Commonwealth citizens will not be placed in a less advantageous position in relation to immigration as compared with the nationals of foreign countries.
§ Mr. CallaghanAccession to the Treaty of Rome would of itself have no, 1425 direct effect on what we do about Commonwealth immigration into this country; we should remain free to pursue in that respect whatever policy we thought appropriate under the Commonwealth Immigrants Acts.
§ Mr. JenkinsIs it not the case that, under Article 48 of the Treaty of Rome, the Government will be required to provide free movement of persons and services? If that is so, is it not the case that citizens of Common Market countries will enjoy free movement denied to citizens of the Commonwealth? Would not this be to the disadvantage of citizens of the Commonwealth?
§ Mr. CallaghanI do not think that it would affect what we do under the Immigration Acts. My hon. Friend has correctly stated Article 48, but there are other articles and the situation is more complex than he has been able to state in his supplementary question.
§ Sir Harmar NichollsBut is it not the case that, under the Treaty of Rome, while we could still allow Commonwealth citizens to come in or go out as we wished, we could not keep out foreign nationals from European countries and they would have to be allowed in whatever we did in the case of Commonwealth citizens?
§ Mr. CallaghanThat is not true. There are other conditions.