§ Q2. Mr. Martenasked the Prime Minister when he will next be having a meeting with the French Prime Minister.
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman may recall that he put the same Question on the Order Paper for answer last Tuesday. I gave him a reply then, and the answer is still the same.
§ Mr. MartenNevertheless, may I take this opportunity of asking the Prime Minister to confirm whether direct elections have been postponed, very sensibly, until next year? If that is so, could he consult the French Prime Minister and others on the proposition that direct elections should not take place until Spain, Portugal and Greece have joined the Common Market?
§ The Prime MinisterI assume that the last part is the equivalent of postponing them till the Greek kalends. No date has yet been finally fixed for the direct elections. It will depend upon the progress of legislation in the various countries.
§ Mr. NobleWhen my right hon. Friend meets the French Prime Minister, will he explain to him and to any other Prime Ministers from the Common Market countries that an amicable solution to the 658 problem of the temporary employment subsidy will be found only when the jobs of workers in the North-West are secured either by this subsidy or by an alternative which is acceptable not only to all of us on this side of the House but also to the Labour movement in the North-West?
§ The Prime MinisterAt the moment, 186,000 jobs are being supported by the temporary employment subsidy. As the Treaty of Rome was drawn up at a time when the world was expecting the market economy to dominate and growth to continue, it only goes to show, in my view, one of the weaknesses of having written constitutions of this sort, because the conditions now are entirely different. Of course, this must be pointed out to anybody who would ask the British Government—nobody has yet done so and I assume that nobody will, because if he does he will get a pretty serious rebuff—to put 186,000 people on the dole.
§ Mr. Maurice MacmillanWill the Prime Minister seek to discuss with the French Prime Minister and, indeed, with other European leaders as soon as possible the situation in the Horn of Africa and see what European countries can do to provide such support as they can, including the supply of arms, to those who are defending themselves against Soviet imperialism in Africa, which constitutes a threat to the United Kingdom and to the whole of Europe?
§ The Prime MinisterThere were very full exchanges on this matter yesterday in the House between the Foreign Secretary and a number of hon. Members. I have nothing to add on the rather complex issue to which my right hon. Friend gave answers then.