§ 6. Sir Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will raise at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers the issue of border controls. [25042]
§ Mr. HowardI have no plans to raise the issue of border controls at the next meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council.
§ Sir Teddy TaylorDoes the Secretary of State agree that the removal of border controls would effectively establish a single European state without frontiers? What constitutional defences are available to us if the European Court determines—as some of us believe it will—that the declaration attached to the Single European Act does not have the status of European law?
§ Mr. HowardMy hon. Friend knows perfectly well—because we have had exchanges on this subject before— 574 that the Government have made it absolutely clear that they are firmly determined to maintain the United Kingdom's frontier controls. That is our position: we will maintain our frontier controls, as we have made clear on numerous occasions.