§ 71. Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if, in the negotiations for the entry of the United Kingdom into the European Economic Community, he will seek to ensure that all citizens of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth are regarded as Community nationals for the 305W purposes of free movement of labour within the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. RipponThe position of British subjects who are citizens of the United Kingdom and colonies and the separate position of Commonwealth citizens have yet to be discussed in Brussels. But I take note of the point raised by the hon. Member.
§ 72. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why he will not arrange for a survey of public opinion to be carried out on the question of United Kingdom entry into the European Economic Community, similar to that carried out on British Standard Time.
§ Mr. RipponThe two questions are quite different. When the negotiations for our entry are concluded and before final decisions are taken there will be ample opportunity for the expression of public opinion.
§ 73. Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why and on what date the Government agreed to the economic and political unity of the United Kingdom with the European Economic Community, without predetermined conditions, as proposed by the British Ambassador to France in Paris on Thursday 29th October 1970.
§ Mr. RipponI would remind the hon. Member of the opening statement by my right hon. Friend the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to the European Communities on 30th June which was laid before the House as a White Paper (Cmnd. 4401) in which he said
Economic growth and technological development today require that we integrate our economies and markets.I do not consider that in his speech on 29th October the Ambassador went beyond what has been said by my right hon. Friend in the House and in his speech at the International Monetary Fund at Copenhagen on 22nd September; nor, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has said, is there any disagreement with the parts of the Ambassador's speech which urged political unity.
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§ Mr. Blakerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had about the position of British horticultural growers in the course of the negotiations for entry into the Common Market.
§ Mr. RipponThere have been no specific discussions of this sort. Our aim in the negotiations, including talks about transitional periods, will be to secure the best terms for the agricultural and horticultural industries as a whole.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give the reasons why, in his negotiations for Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community, he is not insisting on permanent safeguards for the Commonwealth sugar producers and New Zealand dairy producers; why he has only requested for an agreement that these two problems should be reviewed before the end of the transition period; and whether he will change this approach in connection with Great Britain's conditions for entry into the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. RipponI have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Devon, North (Mr. Thorpe) on 29th October. The proposals submitted to the conference with the European Communities are confidential negotiating documents on which it would be inappropriate for me to comment at this stage.—[Vol. 805, c. 444.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date he received from the Action for World Government Trust and/or several Members of Parliament, including the hon. Member for West Ham, North, the reports connected with the effect on Great Britain's sugar supplies of entry into the European Economic Community entitled, Have Some Cane Sugar While You Still Can; and whether he will take action to publicise this report as part of his general policy of encouraging debate on this question.
§ Mr. RipponI received from the hon. Member a copy of the document to which he refers, on 13th November.
I have also received, and replied to a letter from the Secretary of a regional 307W group of the organisation referred to, and have had three similar letters referred to me by hon. Friends.
It would not be appropriate for me to publish the report in question, which is, presumably, readily available.