European Parliament (Hansard, 20 July 1983)

§ 72. Sir Anthony Meyer
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received any invitation to address the European Parliament.

§ Mr. Rifkind
No.

§ Sir Anthony Meyer
Is my hon. Friend aware that there will be an opportunity, when such an invitation 377 manifests itself, as it no doubt will, to capture the imagination of European politicians and the European public with the real desire of hon. Members in all parts of the House to achieve progress in spheres such as support of European technology, closer co-operation in political, energy and social matters as well as in the promotion of policies for combating unemployment? Is he aware that these policies constantly run into difficulties when they are considered piecemeal? Does he agree therefore that there is an opportunity for an imaginative—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. I think that that is quite long enough for a supplementary.

§ Mr. Rifkind
It is normal practice for a Foreign Minister to address the European Parliament only when his country holds the presidency of the Council of Ministers. I agree, however, that my hon. Friend's objectives are highly desirable.

§ Mr. Ernie Ross
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. For the sake of the record I feel that I should point out a serious and misleading statement that was made by the Minister when he replied to my hon. Friend the Member for East Kilbride (Dr. Miller)—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Points of order must be addressed to me, but I cannot rule on misleading statements said to have been made by the Foreign Secretary.

§ Mr. Farr
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I ask you to protect the House in relation to the formulation of Foreign and Commonwealth Question Time? Today we had no fewer than 63 non-EC questions to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which had to be answered in 35 minutes, whereas we had only 10 EC questions, for which 20 minutes was allotted: nine of the 10 EC questions were answered and only 14 of the non-EC ones were answered.
This has happened frequently. It means that the 50 or so hon. Members who tabled questions to the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary relating to non-EC matters did 378 not have their questions reached. I was among them. I suggest, Mr. Speaker, that you might consider recommending either that EC Question Time is cut by half or that the full 20 minutes is allowed, but perhaps on each alternative day when the Minister answers.

§ Mr. Skinner
I wish to draw your attention, Mr. Speaker, on a point of order, to the fact that question No. 75 is down in my name to the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I know when that right hon. and learned Gentleman answers in the House and I usually manage to table a question to him. The reason why it appears on the Order Paper in its present form is not because I wrote it in that fashion, but because of what occurred when it went to the Table Office.
I was hoping to be able to discuss the fact that France, Germany and Italy were sending arms to Argentina and that Britain was providing the money. That is called European co-operation. That was the basis of it. When I got to the Table Office the question was accepted. It appeared on the Order Paper, but then, because the Government are embarrassed because they are providing the money to enable Exocets to be purchased from France in the name—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order.

§ Mr. Skinner
I am talking about the transfer—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Gentleman has managed to put his supplementary question.
I have sympathy with what the hon. Member for Harborough (Mr. Farr) said. The supplementary questions and answers to the first series of questions on the Order Paper today were, in my judgment, rather too long, and therefore we did not do as well as we should have done. The allocation of time for Foreign and Commonwealth Questions is not a matter for me but for the Government, and that is where the hon. Gentleman should make his representations.