§ 7. Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Danish Government about the forthcoming referendum on the Maastricht treaty.
§ Mr. Garel-JonesMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed this and other issues with the Danish Foreign Minister, Mr. Helveg Petersen, in London on 22 March.
§ Mr. SalmondDid the Foreign Secretary at any stage communicate to his Danish counterpart the view held by Members both for and against Maastricht and also substantially by people outside the House—that Maastricht is exactly the sort of constitutional issue which should be decided by the people in a referendum? Is there any prospect of the Government accepting that strong viewpoint and changing tack, or will they merely depend on Labour Front-Bench spokesmen to bail them out in the vote next week?
§ Mr. Garel-JonesNo, there is no such prospect: the Government, like previous British Governments, will depend on the will of the House.
§ Sir Teddy TaylorHas the Minister been able to clarify whether it remains the position of the Government that they will not seek to invite the House to approve the Third Reading of the European Communities (Amendment) Bill until after the Danes have had their second referendum? Is that still the position?
§ Mr. Garel-JonesYes, that remains the position.
§ Mr. SpearingDoes the Minister recall that in a recent written answer he stated that the obligations placed on Denmark by the treaty on European union signed at Maastricht were not changed by the decision reached intergovernmentally at Edinburgh? In that case, will not 818 the question that the Danish people have to answer on 18 May be substantially, if not exactly, the same as they answered previously?
§ Mr. Garel-JonesI recall that answer, but the question put to the Danish people and the answer that they give are matters for the Danish Government and the Danish people and not for me.