BRITAIN, THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL COMMUNITY AND EURATOM (Hansard, 15 June 1961)

§ LORD LATHAM
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)
My Lords, if the United Kingdom were to become a member of the European Economic Community, the question of our membership of the European Coal and Steel Community and Euratom would also arise. When the Western European Union Assembly considered, in June, 1960, a suggestion that the member countries should examine the possibility of United Kingdom membership of Euratom, my right honourable friend Mr. Profumo, who was then the Minister of State at the Foreign Office, said that we would be prepared to look again at the possibility of joining not only Euratom but also the European Coal and Steel Community. He went on to say that our position must depend on whether our action would help or hinder the general prospect of a satisfactory settlement of the general European problem, and that we regarded this 282 matter as part of the wider European construction which we hoped would be undertaken.
Exploratory talks are now taking place to ascertain whether a basis for negotiations can be found with the European Economic Community. It is only when the position in this respect is clearer that it will be possible to consider the consequences for the United Kingdom's relations with Euratom and the European Coal and Steel Community, and the consequences which might follow for British related industries.

§ LORD LATHAM
My Lords, while thanking the noble and learned Viscount for his Answer, could he say whether an economic appreciation of the consequences of going into either or both of them has been made?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, I do not think there could be an appreciation of the economic consequences of going into Euratom because there is practically nothing economic going on on the ground there. But I am not sure if an investigation has been made of the Coal and Steel Community recently. Of course, the matter arose acutely during the Labour Government in 1950, when the Community was formed.

§ LORD LATHAM
My Lords., would the noble and learned Viscount agree that going into Euratom would be likely to have serious consequential effects upon the aircraft and electrical industries in this country, as well as the atomic industry?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, I think that is much too wide a question to answer "off the cuff". There would be serious objections to doing either in isolation from the general question which we are, of course, discussing.

§ LORD LATHAM
My Lords, would the noble and learned Viscount agree that similar difficulties would not arise in connection with an economic appreciation of the effect that going into the Coal and Steel Community would have upon our power industries, such as coal, oil, electricity, gas and the like?

§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAM
My Lords, I should have to think about that before I accepted it, but it sounds sensible.