HL Deb 29 January 1976 vol 367 cc1102-3
Lord ELTON

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 how many Members of each House of Parliament have, in the past 12 months, visited either NATO or SHAPE at Government expense.

THE MINISTER OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (Lord Goronwy-Roberts)

My Lords, there have been no such visits at Government expense, since no Government funds are allocated for visits of this kind. However, in the past 12 months 6 Members of this House and 11 of another place have visited the NATO Headquarters and SHAPE at NATO's expense. A further 10 Members of another place went at the expense of the United States Embassy.

Lord ELTON

My Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that Answer, which was a little more satisfactory than I expected, may I ask him whether, when the diminishing echoes of Helsinki are only barely being overtaken by the rumble of an American re-armament programme, he does not at this juncture find it rather alarming that the only institution charged with the preservation of the liberty, independence and democratic organisation of this country should have such an extraordinary lack of interest and regard for the only institution which is organised to defend the liberty and independence upon which that democratic organisation depends?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, I should need a little time to study that supplementary question. But if, as I am quite sure, the noble Lord means that it is necessary to increase the interest and the participation in discussions with the North Atlantic Assembly and the British Atlantic Committee, I fully agree with him.

Lord LLOYD of KILGERRAN

My Lords, as one of those who had the honour of going on the recent trip to NATO, under the leadership of the noble Lord, Lord Winter bottom, may I ask the Minister whether he agrees that it is most important that Members of this House should have greater information about the activities of NATO, and that they should make that information more available to the public, having regard to the amazingly fine deterrent policy which has been adopted by NATO, but which is not adequately known to the public at the present moment?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, I entirely agree, and fully endorse what my noble friend Lord Winter bottom said in reply to similar questions last week on this matter. I should like to re-affirm that the active support of NATO is a priority of Her Majesty's Government.

Lord LLOYD of KILGERRAN

My Lords. may I also ask the noble Lord—and he may consider that this is not a question which follows naturally on that put to him my the noble Lord, Lord Elton—whether he considers that the fact that there was an all-Party group which went to NATO under the noble Lord, Lord Winter bottom, is a useful precedent in relation to adopting some kind of all-Party policy committee in this House in relation to defence?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, I warmly agree with the first part of the noble Lord's question and I am sure that I will, on reflection, equally warmly agree with the second part.

Lord WYNNE-JONES

My Lords, apart from these visits, will my noble friend say how many Members of this House have been to see NATO as members of the North Atlantic Assembly?

Lord GORONWY-ROBERTS

My Lords, I do not have such precise information by me today. But I can say that the 18 members which this country contributes as a delegation to the North Atlantic Assembly, five of whom are drawn from this House, pursue the policy and practice of which my noble friend is evidently in favour in their fairly frequent attendances at the meetings of that Assembly. If he wishes for facts and figures about other attendances I shall try to get them, although I do not think I shall have free access to information about individual visits.