§ Q4. Mr. Martenasked the Prime Minister if he is satisfied with the coordination between the Secretary of State for the Environment and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs over the proposals of the European Community concerning the weight of heavy lorries; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir. My right hon. Friends have made very clear to the Six the strength of our opposition to the present proposals.
§ Mr. MartenAs, by accepting the motion last Wednesday, the Government have acknowledged that they will veto any proposal to increase the permitted size or weight of heavy lorries, will the Prime Minister ensure that our representative at Brussels follows implicitly the instructions of this Parliament and does not yield to any compromise solution without coming back to the House for permission to do so?
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. Friend in winding up the debate made the position quite clear. We have asked that this matter should not be dealt with until the three new members accede to the Community on 1st January. Then it will be our objective, and the objective of all the new members, to reach agreement.
§ Mr. KelleyWill the Prime Minister take this opportunity to state what authority this Parliament will have after 1099 1st January 1973 on the questions that he has answered?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not think that accession to the EEC would have affected any of my answers today.