§ 22. Mr, Hugh Jenkinsasked the Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning, to what extent it is Her Majesty's Government's policy, in applying to enter the Common Market, to forgo their present powers to settle the terms of the aid given to Scotland, Wales, and other development areas and to conform to Common Market regional policy.
§ Mr. CroslandOur regional policies have much in common with those of the Six and we believe them to be fully compatible with membership of the Communities.
§ Mr. JenkinsIs my right hon. Friend aware that the 14 permanent officials called the Commission, who actually run the Common Market under the Council of Ministers, have recently put forward proposals which would have the effect of depriving member countries of their power to order their internal affairs in this fashion, and which would deprive this country of the ability to carry out the sort of policy which the Government have been carrying out in the last few years? In these circumstances, will he make it a condition of entry to the Common Market that this Article 92 is not applicable to this country?
§ Mr. CroslandNo, Sir. With respect, my hon. Friend is misinformed, unusually so, if I may say so. The ideas put forward by the Commission, which have not been approved yet, carry with them no implications that would cause us to alter our regional policies. Perhaps I could mention that the Commissioner most responsible for these matters, Herr Von Der Groeben, who came to this country a few months ago, said after examining our regional policies:
Those areas which have developed their own regional policies have nothing to fear from joining the Community … We are not concerned with interfering in individual regional policies.