§ 3. Mr. Martenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the Government's negotiations for entry into the European Economic Community.
§ 19. Mr. Croninasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further progress has been made with regard to Great Britain's application to join the European Economic Community.
§ The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. George Thomson)I would refer to the speeches made by the Prime Minister and other Ministers during last week's debate.
§ Mr. MartenDoes the right hon. Gentleman recall the remarks made by the President of the E.E.C. Commission last week, when he said that unanimous voting in the Council of Ministers is absurd, and that we should go over to majority voting? What would be the view of the British Government if we did go over to majority voting, particularly in the sphere of political unity in Europe?
§ Mr. ThomsonI read the remarks of the President of the Commission with great interest, and I thought that many of the things he said were very helpful and understanding of our problems in the negotiations, but the hon. Gentleman's point is essentially one that can be resolved only in the negotiations themselves.
§ Mr. CroninWill my right hon. Friend bear in mind that in most of these matters the attitude of the French Government has been a stumbling block to our aspirations? Will he therefore take steps to obtain a better understanding with the French Government even by less formal means, if possible?
§ Mr. ThomsonHowever true my hon. Friend's remarks may have been about the past, they are certainly not true of the present situation. As he knows, we recently had a most useful visit from the Foreign Minister of France, which was very helpful in restoring an atmosphere of cordiality and understanding between the two countries.
§ Mr. WoodI saw that in a recent Press interview the right hon. Gentleman suggested that substantive negotiations might start in July. Is that still his expectation?
§ Mr. ThomsonNot later than July, Sir.
§ Mr. SpeakerQuestion No. 4—Mr. Marten.
§ Mr. Marten rose—
§ Dame Irene WardOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Could I raise a question now?
§ Mr. SpeakerNext Question.
§ Dame Irene WardI just wondered whether, some time, out of the goodness of your heart, Mr. Speaker, I could ask a supplementary question on behalf of those living on small fixed incomes—[Interruption.] Do be quiet, for once in your lives. I wondered, Mr. Speaker, whether some time or other, having tried dozens of times, and as we never have them mentioned in the context of negotiations for the Common Market, I might be allowed, out of the goodness of your heart, to ask a question on behalf of those living on small, fixed incomes and letting them get a chance of having their voice heard in the House of Commons.
§ Mr. SpeakerI have a good heart. The hon. Lady must put down a Question.
§ 4. Mr. Martenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will obtain from the European Economic Community Commission a complete set of all regulations and directives issued by the European Economic Community and arrange for them to be made available on request to all hon. Members of the House of Commons.
§ 9. Sir D. Walker-Smithasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a 5 White Paper setting out the subject matter and summarised content of the regulations issued by the European Economic Community together with the case law already created by the Community Court of Justice in Luxembourg, with in each case an estimate of their effect upon existing British law and practice.
§ 13. Mr. Moyleasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will issue a White Paper devoted to the impact on British law, in the event of the United Kingdom becoming a member of the European Economic Community, of the body of case law based upon the Treaty of Rome and developed by the European Court of Justice.
§ Mr. George ThomsonAs regards the regulations and directives issued by the European Communities, I would refer to the reply I gave on 21st January to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Marten). As regards the impact of Community legislation on United Kingdom law and practice, the broad conclusions stated in the White Paper of 1967 on Legal and Constitutional implications of membership (Cmnd. 3301) are still valid.
§ Mr. MartenThat does not answer the Question on the Order Paper. What I wanted was that every hon. Member should have an entitlement to a complete set of the 12,000 regulations, most of which will affect this country, so that we can exercise our democratic right to see how the E.E.C. regulations would affect our constituents. That is the important point.
§ Mr. ThomsonI answered the Question. The hon. Gentleman exercises his democratic rights very conscientiously and vigorously. He knows as well as any hon. Member that the texts in translation both of the regulations and directives are in the Library of the House, and there is a cumulative index in the Library explaining their purpose. The hon. Gentleman's figure of 12,000 is grossly exaggerated, because probably only one-third of those regulations are still in operation.
§ Sir D. Walker-SmithIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that his Answer is very odd in many respects, not least in his reference to Community legislation? There being no Community Parliament, 6 there can be no Community legislation. My Question refers not to legislation but to the case law of the Court. Will the right hon. Gentleman be good enough to answer the Question I put down? Is he aware that the White Paper of 1967 was, like so much of the Government's documentation in this context, skimpy and imprecise? Will he bring it up to date and amplify it with an assessment of the impact on our own law?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Questions must be reasonably brief.
§ Mr. ThomsonThe question of Community case law is a complex one, and I would not be able to answer in the time you would wish, Mr. Speaker, at Question Time. I remind the right hon. and learned Gentleman that only a small part of the law of this country would be affected by entry into an enlarged Community.
§ Mr. MoyleWill my right hon. Friend undertake that if he cannot produce a White Paper now he will allow a considerable time on the conclusion of negotiations for lawyers in this country to study these matters before we are called upon to make a decision on whether or not to accede to the Treaty of Rome?
§ Mr. ThomsonThese have been matters for consideration of the House and lawyers for a number of years. I do not think that there has been any lack of time for full consideration.
§ 8. Sir D. Walker-Smithasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will identify the statements made respectively in public and on record, and off the record, since 1st January by Ministers or representatives of his Department attending conferences or negotiations on behalf of the Government concerning British adherence to the Economic Community and possible participation in any form of politically unified structure in Europe.
§ Mr. George ThomsonThere have been no such negotiations. The only conference since 1st January which representatives of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have attended and which has touched on the subjects referred to in the Question is the meeting, at Ministerial level, of the Council of Western European Union on 9th and 10th January, 7 the proceedings of which, as the right hon. Gentleman knows, are confidential.
§ Sir D. Walker-SmithSo is the answer that, in spite of all the perambulations of the right hon. Gentleman and his Foreign Office colleagues about Western Europe in January and February, not one single syllable of information is to be vouchsafed to the House either orally or by the process of laying the documents in the Library?
§ Mr. ThomsonNo, that is not to be assumed at all. I should have thought that the House had suffered from an excess of information about the Government's approach to the Community from speeches both in the House and on the Continent.
§ 10. Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make a statement on his plans in regard to the appointment of the British members of the Common Market Commission in Brussels, in the event of the British application for membership being successful.
§ Mr. George ThomsonNo, Sir; it would be premature to do so pending the outcome of negotiations.
§ Mr. DigbyIn view of the exceptional powers of the Commission beyond those of the Civil Service as we know it, is it not important that these appointments should be thought of and that those chosen should be associated with the negotiations in some way?
§ Mr. ThomsonThis is a very important matter, but I cannot for the life of me see how we can tackle it until we get into the negotiations.
§ 11. Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the other applicants for full membership of the European Economic Community, namely Norway, Denmark, and the Republic of Ireland about the conduct of the negotiations for the enlargement of the Community.
§ Mr. George ThomsonWe are in regular touch with our partners in E.F.T.A. about these matters. Most recently I had talks in London with Ministers of the Irish Republic on 19th and 20th February.
§ Mr. DigbyWould the right hon. Gentleman keep these people in constant touch with the negotiations in the event, which is possible, of the negotiations failing?
§ Mr. ThomsonYes. I entirely agree about the importance of this matter. It is my responsibility to ensure that we keep in close and continuous consultation.
§ 16. Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a further statement on the policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding the European Economic Community's recent decision to endow the Parliament of an enlarged European Community with power to increase the central expenditures of the Community.
§ 30. Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has now had with representatives of Common Market countries about the establishment of a directly elected European Parliament; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. George ThomsonHer Majesty's Government's policy regarding the European Parliament was set out in the Anglo/Italian Declaration signed at the conclusion of President Saragat's visit last year. Our readiness to accept the Rome Treaty, includes those provisions relating to an Assembly. The additional budgetary powers which were agreed in principle by the Six last month will allow the European Parliament to vote a limited increase in the Community's budget in certain defined circumstances.
§ Mr. Bruce-GardyneIs it not time, in the interests of credibility, that the Foreign Office made a greater effort to co-ordinate its attitude on this issue of supra-nationality with the attitude of the Prime Minister, and the attitude which the Prime Minister takes up on "Panorama"? As this question of budgetary control goes well beyond what was suggested in the Treaty of Rome, would it not be more desirable, on occasions, that the Foreign Office should be prepared to align itself with the French Government in the common attitude which the Prime Minister also seems to support?
§ Mr. ThomsonThe hon. Member is, as usual, being too clever by half. There is no difference in the statements made by the Foreign Office Ministers and my right hon. Friend on this subject.
§ Mr. ShinwellMay I ask my right hon. Friend how would the members of this European Parliament be elected? If there is to be an election can any of us be nominated? Has he any clear ideas about this or is it just a vague, ambiguous, equivocal piece of pie in the sky?
§ Mr. ThomsonMy right hon. Friend knows very well that the present arrangements are that the members of the European Parliament are indirectly elected. In the letter of the Treaty of Rome, there is provision for direct election when members of the Council of the Community so agree.
§ 21. Mr. Laneasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what undertakings he has reveived from Common Market countries that the United Kingdom will be associated with any further steps towards political co-operation among the Six.
§ Mr. George ThomsonI have nothing to add to the reply which my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary gave on 13th February to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Bridlington (Mr. Wood).—[Vol. 795, c. 443–4.]
§ Mr. LaneTo improve public understanding of what is and what is not involved in our application to join the Common Market, will the Government consider publishing an up-to-date White Paper or at least a Green Paper on the political implications?
§ Mr. ThomsonNo, Sir. These matters were very thoroughly aired during the two-day debate and the speeches made then on behalf of the Government made the Government's attitude completely clear.
§ Mr. EdelmanWould my right hon. Friend say whether France has shown any inclination to return to the Council of Western European Union? Would not such a gesture be an earnest of her intention to achieve a real political unity?
§ Mr. ThomsonWe should very much like to see France come back and play a part in Western European Union, but 10 I have no information about whether she plans to attend the next meeting which will take place in Bonn.