§ Mr. Warrenasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he has received from the Council of the EEC Commission the draft directive on air fares; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delay in its production.
§ Mr. Sproat:On 21 October the Commission presented to the Council a draft directive entitled "Proposal for a Council Directive (EEC) on Tariffs for Scheduled Air Transport between Member States". We had understood that at one time it was proposed to issue the draft directive in June of this year. We pressed the Commission strongly to issue the directive at the earliest possible date, as it was needed to form the basis of discussion on air fares during the United Kingdom Presidency. It is not, of course, possible for me to comment on the reasons for the delay. We are very glad that the draft directive has now been issued and have made arrangements for its early discussion in the council working group.