HC Deb 09 February 1983 vol 36 cc993-5
63. Mr. Knox

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further proposals he intends to place before his European Economic Community colleagues for the development of Community policies.

64. Mr. Dykes

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the additional priorities for future common policies in the Community to be promoted by Her Majesty's Government following the successful conclusion of the common fisheries policy on 25 January.

68. Mr. Leighton

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which areas of policy he is now concentrating his efforts to achieve joint action within the European Community.

69. Sir Anthony Meyer

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what common policies within the European Community he now intends to seek to negotiate.

Mr. Pym

We have ideas for developing European Community policy over the whole range of its activities. These were summarised in a booklet entitled "Britain in the European Community: A Positive Approach", which we published on 24 January. The booklet covers British proposals for extending the internal market in goods and services, for reform of the operation of the common agricultural policy, for building on the agreed framework of an energy strategy, for a lasting solution to the Community's budget problem, for extending the regional and social policies, and many other suggested directions for Community development. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Knox

In view of the memorandum that was published by the Brandt commission today, does my right hon. Friend agree that the Third world will greatly benefit from Community interest? Does he have any proposals to put before his colleagues to provide a basis for a Community policy for the Third world?

Mr. Pym

The Community already has an aid policy to which the United Kingdom subscribes. From the point of view of the United Kingdom, that contribution to the Third world is only one part of our aid programme that will be expanded in 1983–84. Now that the second Brandt report has been published, hon. Members will wish to study it as carefully as will the Government. It is an extremely important report.

Mr. Leighton

Is the Foreign Secretary aware that the British people are sick and tired of the continued haggling and wrangling about Britain's unfair and excessive payments to the European budget, which have continued ever since the Prime Minister went to Dublin and asked for our money back? Does he agree that no end to that wrangling is in sight because any fundamental restructuring of the budget, its revenues and expenditure, would require a new treaty which every member state Government would have to sign and there is not the political will to do that?

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree also that the British Government have a partial responsibility for the problem, as they have broken their election manifesto commitment to freeze the price of goods in structural surplus, and that the constant increase in food prices has heavily unbalanced the EC budget?

Mr. Pym

I agree that when we finally resolve the budget problem everyone will be greatly relieved. The hon. Gentleman referred to the British public's view. I wonder what he thinks about mine. The present Government took over from the previous one, who had made no effort to redress the imbalance in the budget. Since then we have had two successful negotiations and are about to start a third for 1983 and later years. I entirely share the hon. Gentleman's desire and will do everything that I can to bring the negotiations to a successful conclusion. However, it would be quite wrong to pretend to the House that that will be easy.

Sir Anthony Meyer

Does my right hon. Friend accept that his proposals for securing fresh areas of agreement are specifically designed to secure greater popular acceptance of the advantages of Britain's membership? Does he agree that it is conspicuously unhelpful for the achievement of those objectives when British Airways insists on buying American aircraft rather than perfectly satisfactory European ones?

Mr. Pym

The purpose of our positive proposals over a range of Community policies is precisely to ensure greater prosperity for all members of the Community. We can now say that many of the ideas that are on the table before the Community emanated from Britain.

Mr. Greville Janner

With regard to the development of EC policies in foreign affairs, will the right hon. Gentleman commend to our partners in the EC his and the Prime Minister's right and firm decision to refuse to meet leaders of the PLO? Will he recognise the staunch and vigorious democracy that operates under the rule of law in Israel, which is unique in that area and rare in many other parts of the world?

Mr. Pym

I often think that it is helpful if people mind their own business. I think that we might take the same view about the hon. Gentleman's point. It is for each Government to decide what their attitude should be on that issue.

Mr. Nelson

Does my right hon. Friend agree that if the price of oil should fall dramatically there might be some fairly dire consequences for the exchange rate of sterling against European currencies? In view of the damaging possibilities of short-term fluctuations in sterling, is it not an urgent priority for European co-operation that we now become full members of the European monetary system? What efforts is he making to prevail upon his Treasury colleague to accept that point of view?

Mr. Pym

My hon. Friend acknowledged at the end of his question that this is the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. We have conversations on the subject from time to time. I assure my hon. Friend that my right hon. and learned Friend has that point firmly in mind. He has spoken on it on several occasions. It would be unreasonable to expect him suddenly to change his mind about it, but I assure my hon. Friend that he thinks about it frequently.

Mr. Heffer

Is the Foreign Secretary aware that the pamphlet to which he referred reads much more like a Conservative party pamphlet than a Government one? How much did it cost to produce? Is he also aware that another document published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office entitled "The First 10 Years" states: The Common Agricultural Policy … Britain accepts its basic principles. Am I now to understand that the Government intend to do nothing about the basic principles of the common agricultural policy, that our people are to be saddled with it for all time, and that the high prices that they must pay will continue?

Hon. Members

Hear, hear.

Mr. Cryer

It is a savage indictment, Eric.

Mr. Heffer

The right hon. Gentleman referred to the document. I have copies of all of them. Does he agree that to talk in terms of developing common policies in the EC is absolutely ridiculous, especially when one considers what is happening with milk? Is it not silly to have a common policy when the 10 countries have completely different ways of dealing with specific questions? Can the Government assure us that the doorstep delivery of milk will in no way be affected by the recent court decision?

Mr. Pym

It had never previously crossed my mind that the subject of heated milk, of all things, could give rise to heated exchanges. I can give the hon. Gentleman the assurance that he wants about the continuation of doorstep deliveries of milk in this country. We adhere to the objectives of the CAP. What we object to is a number of ways in which it operates. We have suggested a number of alterations. We agree about excessive prices. That is why we are struggling to persuade our partners to accept lower prices than many of them require. That is the whole development of our thinking. We agree with the basic objectives.