§ 2. Sir Anthony Meyerasked the Lord Privy Seal what discussions he has had with the French Foreign Minister on the possibilities of increasing co-operation between Great Britain and France.
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Sir Ian Gilmour)I took part in the discussions that my right hon. and noble Friend had with the French Foreign Minister on 19 November during the recent Anglo-French summit meeting.
§ Sir A. MeyerAs Franco-British relations appear to be stuck in a groove, would it not be a good idea for our two countries to co-operate by putting forward schemes for European co-operation? Perhaps we could co-operate with them on defence and on their nuclear programme and by using our reserves of coal and oil to make Europe stronger and safer.
§ Sir I. GilmourI agree that Anglo-French co-operation should be increased. The scope for collaboration in nuclear energy was touched on by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy during discussions with the French Minister in the margins of the recent Anglo-French summit. We are certainly ready to play our part.
§ Mr. ShoreI hope that I did not misunderstand the Lord Privy Seal. Was 1267 he referring to civil nuclear power co-operation as regards the talks held at Downing Street? I certainly hope so. Was there any discussion of the French ban on imported British lamb? What was the attitude of the President of France to our representations and his position vis-á-vis the EEC?
§ Sir I. GilmourNaturally, I was referring to civil nuclear power and that is why I referred to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy, rather than my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. The right hon. Gentleman will agree that the subject of any conversations at summit meetings cannot be discussed. However, the subjects that the right hon. Gentleman has raised will no doubt arise later during Question Time.