§ Mr. Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what effect the signing of the Treaty of Rome will have on the United Kingdom Canadian Agreement of 1932, Appendix I of the Imperial Economic Conference at Ottawa, 1932, Command Paper No. 4174, October, 1932; if he has consulted the Canadian Government on this matter; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. RipponBoth Her Majesty's Government and the Canadian Government recognise that the preferential terms for Canadian imports into the United Kingdom provided for in the agreement would be incompatible with British membership of the European Economic Community. We shall continue to maintain close touch with the Canadian Government, and I will be visiting Ottawa on 4th March.
§ Mr. Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussion he has had with the New Zealand Government about the effects of signing the Treaty of Rome on the United Kingdom/New Zealand Trade Agreement, made at Wellington on 12th August 1959; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RipponBoth Her Majesty's Government and the New Zealand Government recognise the implications for the Anglo-New Zealand Trade Agreement of 1959 if Britain enters the European Economic Community. We have, of course, specified New Zealand's special problems as one of the main subjects to be dealt with in the present negotiations. We shall maintain close consultations with the Government of New Zealand on this, as on other aspects of our entry.
§ Mr. Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what effect the signing of the Treaty of Rome will have on the United Kingdom/Australia Trade Agreement of 1957, Command Paper No. 91 of February, 1957; if he has consulted the Australian Government in this matter; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RipponBoth Her Majesty's Government and the Australian Government recognise that the preferential terms for Australian imports into the United Kingdom provided for in the Anglo-Australian Trade Agreement of 1957 would be incompatible with British membership of the European Economic Community. We shall continue to maintain close touch with the Australian Government.
§ Mr. Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representa- 180W tions he has received about the adverse effects on Scottish inshore fishing if the United Kingdom signed the Treaty of Rome; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RipponI have met representatives of the Scottish and English Inshore Fishermen's Associations and a delegation from the Joint Fisheries Committee of this House. I have also received a number of letters from representatives of Scottish fishing interests. I have explained that Her Majesty's Government have reserved their position on the common fisheries policy of the Community; that certain details of the common fisheries policy have not yet been agreed in the Community; and that Her Majesty's Government are examining the detailed national and local implications of this policy with a view to formulating a position which takes into account the views expressed by the fishing industry. I have also explained that we have left the Community in no doubt of the importance we attach to this matter.