§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that Community proposals on regional aid would restrict such aid in the greater part of the Community to 20 per cent. of the capital invested, a figure below the aid at present available to development areas in Great Britain; and whether this is acceptable to the Government after Great Britain joins the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. RipponThe Community have agreed that for certain "central" areas in the Six, specifically regional aid—exclusive of national tax allowances—should be limited to a ceiling of 20 per cent. This should not cause us difficulty. We are confident that we shall be able to maintain and develop vigorous and effective regional policies as members of the enlarged Communities.
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that the latest Community policy on regional aid will prohibit all aids to most regions in Great Britain, including development areas, where the precise benefit is said to be opaque and therefore difficult to assess; 223W and whether this prohibition is acceptable to the Government for application after Great Britain joins, the European Community.
§ Mr. RipponCommunity policy on regional aid provides that aid should be "transparent". This means that the total amount of aid granted to a project should be assessable and that there should be no hidden subsidies. We believe that our present system of aid including tax allowances would be "transparent".
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether in his study of how to accomplish the harmonisation of the United Kingdom and the European Economic Community law, he will consider the extent to which Community legislation will automatically override national law; and
NON-COMMUNITY WORKERS ISSUED WITH FIRST WORK PERMITS IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 Belgium … … n/a 9,739 6,360 2,302 2,545 n/a France … … n/a 115,557 94,547 85,013 158,786 n/a Germany … … n/a 222,160 73,894 251,160 498,664 n/a Italy … … n/a 2,302 2,600 5,059 6,293 n/a Luxembourg … n/a 1,331 386 998 2,110 n/a Netherlands … n/a 30,994 12,024 15,191 23,507 n/a (Excluding seasonal workers except in the cases of Italy and the Netherlands.) (various E.E.C. sources)
EMPLOYED PERSONS FROM NON-COMMUNITY COUNTRIES IN CIVIL EMPLOYMENT 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 Belgium … … n/a n/a 78,000 n/a n/a n/a France … … n/a n/a n/a 896,000 n/a n/a Germany … … 711,000 819,000 674,000 657,000 945,000 n/a Italy … … 19,000 20,000 22,000 23,000 n/a n/a Luxembourg … 4,200 4,100 3,200 3,900 4,900 n/a Netherlands … 45,000 58,000 51,000 57,000 60,000 n/a (Source: E.E.C. Annuaire de statistique social, 1970)
§ Mr. Woofasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he proposes, on Great Britain's accession to the European Economic Community, to support the proposal of France to admit Spain as a member of the Community.
§ Mr. RipponI am not aware of any proposal to admit Spain as a full member of the European Communities.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals have been put to the Council of Ministers of the European Economic Community regarding proposed food price increases; and what
224Wif he will make a statement on this aspect of the question.
§ Mr. RipponI would refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 21–26 of the White Paper on the Legal and Constitutional Implications of United Kingdom Membership of the European Communities (Cmnd. 3301).
§ Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the numbers of non-community workers present in and entering into, respectively, each member State of the European Economic Community in each of the five years 1965 to 1970.
§ Mr. RipponThe figures, where available, are as follows:
estimate he has made of their effect on British food prices.
§ Mr. RipponIn June, the Commission proposed increases in farm prices for 1972–73 averaging some two to three per cent. No revised proposals have yet been put to the Council of Ministers.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the appropriate time will be reached for producing and providing for the House of Commons translations of the European Coal and Steel Community Instruments, duly modified and agreed for accession, which will be binding on the United Kingdom at the time of accession, together with an index.
225W
§ Mr. RipponRelevant translations will be made available when they are ready.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he can give the actual or estimated date when he expects a complete index to secondary legislation of the Communities in force on 10th November, 1971, and which will still be operative at the time of accession, will be published in connection with the legislation to be introduced into Parliament.
§ Mr. RipponI have nothing to add to the answer my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs gave to the hon. Member on 29th November.—[Vol. 827, c.21.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that during the current negotiations for entry into the European Economic Community and matters connected with the fishing dispute Norway is asking for a permanent guarantee that their coastal waters will not be fished by vessels of the countries of the Six; and whether Her Majesty's Government will now make similar claims for exclusive fishing rights off the coast of Great Britain for British fishermen.
§ Mr. RipponThere is regular consultation on fisheries matters with the other applicants for membership of the Communities and I am aware of the Norwegian position. What we seek in the fisheries negotiations is a satisfactory overall balance of mutual advantage for all member countries, new and old.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in view of the French Government's policy towards the fishing limit problem, whether, during his next meeting with the French Foreign Minister, he will arrange to discuss this matter with him.
§ Mr. RipponAny discussions with Monsieur Schumann would naturally cover questions of mutual interest but the problem of fisheries is a matter to be resolved with the Communities as a whole in the negotiating conference.