§ 47. Mr. Martenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any plans to meet the President of the European Assembly.
§ Mr. MartenWhen the Foreign Secretary meets the President, will he tell him that the Assembly is coming into great contempt in this country because it cannot agree to sit in one place and alternates between Luxembourg and Strasbourg? As this is a waste of taxpayers' money, which we on this side of the House do not like to see, will the Foreign Secretary consider with his Government colleagues whether perhaps the only way to force this issue is to postpone direct elections until these people come to a sensible solution to the problem?
§ Dr. OwenSignor Colombo would be delighted if agreement could be reached to have the Assembly on one site. Most of those who go to the European Assembly wish this issue to be resolved. The problem is the vital interests of a number of member States which are affected. 1493 The Government, and I should think the whole House, support very firmly the Luxembourg compromise. Luxembourg is unlikely to use it very often, but on this issue I would not be surprised if it did invoke it.
§ Mr. GouldIs my right hon. Friend aware that the Counter-Inflation (Temporary Provisions) Act 1972 passed by the previous Conservative Government provides that that Act should take priority over EEC regulations and directives and judgments of the European Court? Will he bear this interesting Tory precedent in mind when the next attempt is made to impose nonsense on us from Brussels?
§ 49. Mr. Bowdenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he proposes to raise in the Council of Ministers the question of the location of the European Parliament after direct elections.
§ Mr. TomlinsonI refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Lord President to my hon. Friend the Member for Kettering (Sir G. de Freitas) on 5 December.
§ Mr. BowdenDoes the Minister agree that all European MPs will have to undertake a horrendous amount of travelling? Everything should be done to reduce the strain upon them and the officials. It is highly desirable that as many as possible of the European institutions, both parliamentary and Government, should be within one limited area.
§ Mr. TomlinsonThe hon. Gentleman will have heard my right hon. Friend's earlier reply. I have nothing to add to that, other than to say that it was partly in response to those considerations that the Labour Party decided firmly against the dual mandate.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe House was two minutes late in starting EEC questions. Therefore, I shall allow an additional question.