HC Deb 28 February 1983 vol 38 cc16-7
30. Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Lord President of the Council what arrangements exist to co-ordinate the dissemination of information about the European Community between Her Majesty's Government and the European assembly.

The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. John Biffen)

None.

Mr. Taylor

As the people of Britain, particularly those in the schools, colleges and universities—and also the newspapers—are already snowed under by a vast quantity of free, glossy material coming from the Commission, the assembly, the European Democrats, and the Government, telling us what a splendid thing the Common Market is, and as most of it consists of propaganda and not information, is there nothing that the Lord President can do to stop the assembly spending another £25 million of taxpayers' money on a further pointless propaganda drive?

Mr. Biffen

The answer must be no. The propaganda drive—if that is what it is—does not seem to be particularly successful.

Mr. Heffer

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that up to now the propaganda has not been particularly successful? Will he tell the House where propaganda begins and information ends? We are now getting from the Government pamphlets which are straight Tory propaganda in support of the European Community. At the same time we are getting material supplied by Mr. Gaston Thorn, which is also propaganda, with very little information in it.

Mr. Biffen

I do not think that by any stretch of the imagination Mr. Gaston Thorn can be considered to be a propagandist for either the Tory party or the British Government.

Mr. Maclennan

Will the Lord President assure the House that by no sleight of hand of co-ordination will he conceal from the British people the self-interested attitude of the Conservative Government in refusing to introduce proportional representation for elections to the European Parliament?

Mr. Biffen

I am not sure that that arises from the question by my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor), but the topic is one that I shall be happy to debate with the hon. Gentleman whenever the occasion arises.

Sir Anthony Meyer

Does my right hon. Friend accept that even those of us who champion the right of the European Parliament to carry out its proper functions, and urge the provision of facilities to its Members to enable it to do so, would find it intolerable if that Parliament sought to usurp the functions of this House, or if Members of that Parliament, by stealth or by the use of lavish European funds, sought to usurp the seats of hon. Members of this House?

Mr. Biffen

I think that my hon. Friend's remarks strike a chord across a very wide spectrum of opinion.