§ 12. Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Minister of State for Defence what progress has been made towards greater co-ordination by European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; and whether he will make a statement on the Brussels meeting in December.
§ Lord BalnielI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 17th December to the right hon. Member for Dundee, East (Mr. George Thomson) which gives the Communiquê of the December Euro Group meeting.—[Vol. 808, c. 406–7.]
§ Mr. DigbyAs these communiqués are not always very informative, could my right hon. Friend give an assurance that there was at that meeting closer co-operation between the European defence allies?
§ Lord BalnielI agree with my hon. Friend that all too frequently the communiqués are remarkably uninformative. It was a very successful meeting. As hon. Members will know, it resulted in the Euro-Group members agreeing to undertake the European Defence Improvement Programme, which was a major step forward in European defence collaboration.
§ Dr. David OwenThe Minister has implied in answer to a previous Question that some members of N.A.T.O. agree with the policy of Her Majesty's Government on selling arms to South Africa and accept the so-called threat in the Indian Ocean. Will the hon. Gentleman name the N.A.T.O. members which have accepted this policy?
§ Lord BalnielI suggest that if the hon. Gentleman had wished to ask a question about the last Question he should have done so when it was called.
§ Dr. OwenOn a point of order. Question 12 refers to
co-ordination of policy by European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation".Is it in order for the Minister not to answer a question which is directly related to the Question on the Order Paper?
§ Mr. SpeakerI am not responsible for the way in which Ministers answer Questions.