EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (Hansard, 10 June 1971)

§ Q3. Mr. Eadie
asked the Prime Minister as a result of his visit to President Pompidou, what plans he has to seek to pay official visits to any other Heads of Government in the European Economic Community.

§ The Prime Minister
None at present, Sir, but I look forward to welcoming the Prime Minister of Italy to London at the end of this month.

§ Mr. Eadie
Will the Prime Minister assure the House that no secret deals were done at his meeting with President Pompidou that would harm the relations between us and the Heads of State of the Six? Will he assure the House that there will be no deterioration in our relations as a result of any secret deal?

§ The Prime Minister
I can certainly give that absolute assurance.

§ Mr. Heffer
Is the Prime Minister aware that there are hon. Members on this side of the House, of whom I am one, who believe that, because the doors have been bolted and locked since 1969, particularly in relation to the Common Market agricultural policy, the right hon. Gentleman went to see President Pompidou only to confirm that the Conservative Government would give just about everything away?

§ The Prime Minister
The hon. Gentleman used to give serious consideration to these matters and was a strong supporter of a European policy. If he gives a little more reflection to this point, he will realise that there is absolutely no justification for what he has said. The common agricultural policy was, of course, accepted by his own Administration.

§ Sir R. Cary
Is the Prime Minister aware that the country is extremely grateful to him for the great improvement which he has brought about in Anglo-French relations? [Laughter.]

§ The Prime Minister
I am sorry that right hon. and hon. Gentlemen opposite do not welcome an improvement in Anglo-French relations. I have always understood that it was their objective as well, and I should have thought they would have welcomed it.

§ Mr. Jay
As alarm has been caused in the steel industry by the threat that the expansion of the British steel industry would be stopped if we were to join the Coal and Steel Community, and as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster did not seem to know anything about this, may we have a full statement of the facts from the Government?

§ The Prime Minister
A full statement was issued last night and printed in the Guardian today—[HON. MEMBERS: "By whom?"]—by the Foreign Office. At no time during the negotiations has any suggestion been made to us that the Community wished to break up the British Steel Corporation—it was suggested in the article that it would be divided, but there is no truth in that—or to restrict its production or to cut down its investment programmes. That is a categorical statement dealing with that point.

§ Mr. Longden
Can my right hon. Friend yet give the House firm information about the arrangements for debating and voting on the terms for entry into the European Community?

§ The Prime Minister
I cannot give my hon. Friend that information today, but I think it would be for the convenience of the House if I were to make a full statement about this matter in the course of next week.

§ Mr. Harold Wilson
I welcome that, but is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his handling of Questions in relation to steel yesterday and today is a totally outrageous way of treating this House? While the whole House understood that the Chancellor of the Duchy yesterday had not had time to read the article in the Guardian and could not comment on it, surely his inability to answer the question and to submit to further questioning should not have been dealt with by a Foreign Office statement at 10.30 p.m., still less by the right hon. and learned Gentleman this lunchtime giving his answer on the B.B.C. while refusing to give it to the House of Commons? This is not what the Prime Minister promised in his manifesto, when he said that he would deal openly and directly with the House. Will he now arrange for a proper statement to be made by his right hon. and learned Friend, so that we can have a proper grilling of the right hon. and learned Gentleman, and not deal with this matter in the middle of a Question about a visit to President Pompidou?

§ The Prime Minister
The right hon. Gentleman is endeavouring to hide his own indecision by criticising me. My right hon. and learned Friend told the House quite frankly yesterday that he had not read the article in the Guardian. He was, therefore, not prepared yesterday—quite rightly, not having read the article—to comment upon it. Later in the day members of the Press, including the Guardian, naturally asked the Foreign Office questions about it. The Foreign Office, in the usual way, stated what the position was. I have restated that position at the first opportunity to the House of Commons this afternoon. It has not been the practice of previous Administrations, least of all the right hon. Gentleman's, to tell members of the Press that 1232 they could not be given the information to which they had a right until the following day in the House of Commons.

§ Mr. Harold Wilson
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Chancellor of the Duchy has now read the article? He has spoken on the B.B.C. and given his answers there, where he could not be questioned by hon. Members representing steel constituencies. Whatever the Foreign Office may or may not have said, would it not have been right for him to come along today and say that he had now read the article and give his answer? Secondly, in view of the right hon. Gentleman's preamble about indecision—presumably indecision about Common Market entry—does he or does he not agree with what the Chancellor of the Duchy said at lunchtime today in relation to public opinion, that people should wait to make up their minds until they know the terms of entry? That is what I am doing, and I hope that the Prime Minister is doing the same.

§ The Prime Minister
I have dealt categorically with all the allegations that have been made about the negotiations with the Coal and Steel Community, and there is nothing more to be said about that. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] There is no point in repeatedly stating that there is no truth in the allegations which have been made, because it has now been stated with full authority that there is no truth in them. When the negotiations about the Coal and Steel Community reach Ministerial level, my right hon. Friend will, as usual, make a full statement to the House. The negotiations have not yet reached Ministerial level; they are being carried out in the customary way between permanent representatives and the negotiating teams. My remark about indecision referred to the right hon. Gentleman's failure to know what he should do about his own party.

§ Mr. Harold Wilson
Since the right hon. Gentleman cannot even make up his mind what he should do about consultation on this matter in the House, will he now answer my question? Does he agree with the statement of the Chancellor of the Duchy at lunchtime today—and the Leader of the House said the same thing last week—that we should all wait for the terms? Does he agree with 1233 this, or has he made up his own mind to go in whatever the terms?

§ The Prime Minister
I have always told the right hon. Gentleman that the whole House will be given the fullest information, and every individual hon. Member will be able to make up his own mind. That is a firm answer to the right hon. Gentleman's question. In answer to a supplementary question, I have just said that I think it will be for the convenience of the House if next week I make a full statement outlining the possible parliamentary processes.