HC Deb 07 July 1976 vol 914 cc1364-6
39. Mr. Moate

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the EEC Foreign Ministers.

35. Mr. Skinner

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further plans he has to meet EEC Foreign Ministers.

Mr. Hattersley

I shall next meet my EEC colleagues at the European Council meeting in Brussels on 12th and 13th July.

Mr. Moate

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the creation of international organisations tends to encourage the establishment of an especially privileged class of persons who receive much higher salaries and pay much lower taxes than do the majority of citizens? Will he tell the other Foreign Ministers that it would be intolerable if the creation of a directly-elected Assembly allowed Members of that Assembly to receive higher salaries and pay less tax than did the Members of national assemblies and that it would be intolerable if national assemblies did not exercise control over these matters?

Mr. Hattersley

National assemblies will exercise a great deal of control over the creation of a directly-elected Assembly, because they will have to pass legislation to make it possible. No doubt it will be open to the hon. Gentleman to put down amendments concerning remuneration and other matters when that legislation is before the House. I am open to correction, but I think that international servants of all kinds, not simply EEC servants, as distinct from those elected to an Assembly, receive salaries free of tax, and that is a necessary established international custom.

Mr. Spearing

As the meeting next week will again be discussing direct elections, will my right hon. Friend assure the House that there will be an opportunity to discuss, debate and approve or otherwise any convention or agreement which may be made and that it will be made clear at the meeting that any agreement will be subject to the will of the House, apart from the legislation in Bill form?

Mr. Hattersley

I have said so at every Question Time and in reply to the previous supplementary question. There can be no direct elections in this country until the House has passed the necessary legislation. It has absolute control.

Mr. Watt

When the Minister meets his EEC colleagues, will he ensure that Scotland gets no less representation under the system of direct elections than do nations of a similar size, such as Denmark?

Mr. Hattersley

Scotland must and will receive the proper representation consistent with its position as a nation within the United Kingdom.

Mr. George Cunningham

In view of what my right hon. Friend said in reply to the hon. Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate), will he give an assurance that the Bill which the Government bring forward to enable direct elections to be held will be drafted in such a way—and that the Long Title will be drafted in such a way—as to provide that amendments on the points raised by the hon. Member for Faversham will be in order?

Mr. Hattersley

My hon. Friend knows that it is not possible for me to give such precise assurances about legislation at this time. I give him the assurance that I have given on previous occasions about European legislation. It would clearly be intolerable if the House were not given the opportunity to discuss certain issues. That means that the House must be given the widest, fullest and freest opportunity to discuss all the ramifications of direct elections.

Mr. Amery

Does the Minister agree that, as we put more of our economic and, in due course, financial affairs together among the Nine in Europe, it will become increasingly important to have a joint foreign policy to promote and protect them? Does he agree that, as that progresses, foreign policy cannot be separated entirely from defence and that even within the framework of NATO there will be a need for increasing consultation among the Nine, or as many as are prepared to consult, on defence as well as foreign policy?

Mr. Hattersley

I do not think that the description joint "or" "common" foreign policy is the most appropriate. Within the community there is a mutual interest in co-ordinating national foreign policies when that is possible. That has achieved a great deal of success over the last two years, but equally during that time there have been a number of occasions when one nation or another believed that its interests lay in not adopting a communally-decided attitude to external affairs. That will continue for a long time.