§ 45. Mr. Cryerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made by European Economic Community Ministers regarding the application of European Economic Community directives and regulations in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. CryerWill my hon. Friend accept that the directives and regulations that are flooding this country are causing much cost and concern? They extend from tachographs for drivers' hours that recently caused the strike, through fishing to noisy lawnmowers. Will he accept that the only way to resist this flood of regulations and directives and to ensure that the Government retain control over industry and commerce is to amend the European Communities Act 1972? Will he confirm that our best lever is the threat of withdrawal from the Community if reforms are not made?
§ Mr. TomlinsonSuch an amendment to the European Communities Act 1972 is not necessary. Before Community regulations and directives have a substantive legislative effect and can be adopted, they require the approval of the Council of Ministers. In the Council each member State can block agreements 1489 unless interests to which it attaches importance are met. The United Kingdom Government have made their views quite clear on many of those issues on a number of occasions.
§ Rev. Ian PaisleyUnder what regulation and directive did two officials from the Common Market visit Belfast on Monday and close down certain stands at an important engineering exhibition at Balmoral Hall, Belfast?
§ Mr. TomlinsonI have no knowledge of that. No doubt the hon. Member will write to us, and his letter will receive the appropriate consideration.
§ Mr. FlanneryIs it not a fact that some EEC directives are so futile that one wonders how they were passed?
For example, at a time when my city and the steel industry generally are in grave trouble, there was a directive on steel that virtually stopped us putting money into our steel industry. We fought that in this Chamber and got the directive changed.
§ Mr. TomlinsonA number of hon. Members have rightly exercised pressure in this House to change decisions on things that they think are—
§ Mr. MartenDotty.
§ Mr. TomlinsonCertainly in some circumstances, dotty. That process is available to hon. Members under present procedure, and in the Council of Ministers some of the nonsenses of gratuitous harmonisation and other requirements are pointed out. But that does not change our basic obligation to abide by the treaty.
§ Sir Anthony MeyerWill the hon. Gentleman, whose grasp of these matters is surer than that of some of his colleagues, take this opportunity to make it plain to the House that it is not the policy of the Labour Government or the Labour Party to withdraw from the European Community? Will he also state clearly that idle threats to withdraw diminish, rather than increase, the Government's ability to secure changes within the EEC?
§ Mr. TomlinsonI am sure that I do not have to remind any hon. Member that the Government have never made such threats.