HL Deb 22 April 1975 vol 359 cc761-3

2.41 p.m.

Lord GLADWYN

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

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they agree with the comments on the Lomé Convention contained in the recent "Briefing Paper" of the Overseas Development Institute.

The PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE, FOREIGN and COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)

My Lords, the Government do not agree that the content of the Convention is disappointing. It was the result of arduous and complex negotiations between 55 countries. In a number of important respects it represents a major advance on any previous multilateral agreement concluded between developed and developing countries.

Lord GLADWYN

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for that reply, which at least makes it clear that the Government do not in any way share the very tendentious account of the effects of the Lomé Convention set forth in the Overseas Development Institute's "Briefing Paper". May I ask whether the Government have any influence on this bureau? I do not know whether they have, but it is conceivable that they subsidise it. If that is so, will they exercise such influence in future in the direction of preventing the bureau from putting out tendentious stuff of this kind?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, what is tendentious to some is free opinion to others! As a good old-fashioned liberal, I do not think I would intervene in that sense.

Lord TRANMIRE

My Lords, can the noble Lord say whether the figures comparing the per capita aid under the Lomé Convention, with the aid in real terms under the Second Yaoundé Convention, are accurate or inaccurate?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, I am not sure of their precise accuracy, and I would certainly doubt the conclusions that might be drawn from the figures as presented. I would add that EDF IV, as we call it, perhaps provides less aid per head, but certainly provides a very large sum of money, £1,700 million, and in the economic climate which today affects both this country and others, I believe this is a remarkable achievement.

Earl COWLEY

My Lords, when do the Government intend to ratify the Lomé Convention? Will it be before 5th June, or do they intend to make ratification dependent on the result of the referendum?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

No, my Lords, the two things do not go together. We will ratify as soon as these provisions have been laid in the proper form before both Houses of Parliament, and I shall be referring to this when I speak briefly in the debate this afternoon. Ratification can, of course, follow the implementation of most, if not all, of these provisions and in fact we expect that by 1st July most of them will have been implemented.

Lord PAGET of NORTHAMPTON

My Lords, if Her Majesty's Government were not disappointed with the Lomé Convention, why not?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, partly at least because the participating ACP countries were not disappointed and, in fact, were enthusiastically in favour of the Convention.