HC Deb 14 April 1983 vol 40 cc929-31
13. Mr. Marlow

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government resources have been made available for visits to Northern Ireland by Members of the European Assembly.

Mr. Prior

Members of the European Parliament have used their own resources to visit Northern Ireland. The Government have, on request, provided appropriate information and assistance within the Province.

Mr. Marlow

I am not quite sure what my right hon. Friend meant by that, but will he confirm to the House that this impertinent mischief will not be allowed any status whatever, and that Her Majesty's Government will not provide a penny of public money or allow one minute of a soldier's time, Army time or public servants' time to be wasted on this deplorable visit?

Mr. Prior

No, Sir, I will not agree to any of that.

Mr. Molyneaux

Will the Secretary of State perhaps agree that any person coming on behalf of the European Community to interfere in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland will be accorded no facilities beyond those enjoyed by tourists whose passports are in order?

Mr. Prior

I am not in favour of others interfering in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland. I have made that abundantly plain on many occasions on many issues. On the other hand, the Government would be negligent if, when people wish to come to Northern Ireland to find out the facts, the Government did not see that they got those facts.

Mr. Stephen Ross

Will the Secretary of State confirm that he will afford the same facilities to Members of the European Parliament as to any Member of this House visiting Northern Ireland?

Mr. Prior

I believe in being courteous to all people whenever I can. If Members of the European Parliament come on matters that are strictly within their competence and relevance, they will receive the correct and appropriate treatment. If they come on other grounds, our attitude may have to be rather different.

Mr. Wilkinson

Does my right hon. Friend agree that hospitality has always been a tradition of this country, and nowhere more so than in Northern Ireland, and that in this case it can only do good for elected representatives, albeit of the European Parliament, to become rather better informed about the problems of Northern Ireland than they would otherwise be? After all, they are only members of a Committee, and even the full Assembly has no locus standi to interfere in the political affairs that are internal to Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Mr. Prior

Yes, Sir. That is quite right, and I agree with all that my hon. Friend says. If Members of the European Parliament had, perhaps, been better informed they would not now be involved in this matter.

Rev. Ian Paisley

Will the Secretary of State make a clear distinction between Members of this House visiting the United Kingdom, for which they have legislative powers in this House, and Members of the European Assembly, who have no say whatever in the internal affairs of this kingdom?

Mr. Prior

That is perfectly correct. The great problem in this case is that it is hard to differentiate between., as it were, political affairs and constitutional affairs.

Mr. Skinner

Is the Secretary of State aware that he would not have any trouble from the Common Market poking its nose into Ireland, or any other busybodies interfering, if he adopted a political solution to the problems in Northern Ireland, because he might then win the battle against insecurity, to which I referred earlier? Does he accept that that only a political solution will resolve the matter and a united Ireland must come out of that political solution?

Mr. Prior

That is the sort of poking into the affairs of Northern Ireland that I do not think necessarily achieves any purpose. I endorse the hon. Gentleman's belief that there has to be a political solution to these affairs at the end of the day.