HC Deb 26 July 1971 vol 822 cc27-9W
76. Mr. Lipton

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are being made to protect the rights of the Channel Islands before Great Britain enters the European Economic Community.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government will not, on entry into the European Economic Community, take any action unilaterally to break or amend any of the charters and treaties in being between Great Britain and Jersey;

(2) to what extent Her Majesty's Government have discussed, or will discuss, the effect on Jersey's exports of the Common External Tariff with the Jersey Parliament and Government before entry into the European Economic Community; and whether he will make a statement;

(3) to what extent, under the various treaties and charters which the Island of Jersey has with Great Britain, it is possible for Jersey to export her goods to the United Kingdom free of duty; to what extent Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community will abrogate any or all of these charters and treaties; and if he will make a statement;

(4) whether he will give an assurance that no action wil be taken by Her Majesty's Government which will adversely affect the interest of Jersey and the Channel Isles in the context of Great Britain's entry to the European Economic Community;

(5) whether he will seek to arrange that on the present proposed terms for Great Britain's possible entry into the European Economic Community each of the Channel Isles will be able to continue with its present arrangements regarding exports to and imports from Great Britain, and that no action will be taken adversely to affect the tourist trade in the Channel Isles;

(6) to what extent Great Britain's signing of the Treaty of Rome will, without making special provisions, affect the legal and constitutional position of Jersey.

Mr. Maudling

Under the Customs and Excise Act, 1952, products of the Channel Islands enter the United Kingdom free of customs duty, but the equivalent of the excise duty must be paid on goods that are liable to excise duty in the United Kingdom. Such free entry would not be affected in practice by the entry of the United Kingdom into the European Economic Community if the Islands were also to become a part of the Community. But full membership of the Community would present difficulties for the Islands. After consultation with the authorities there and in the Isle of Man, Her Majesty's Government are, therefore, seeking for all the Islands arrangements short of full membership that would provide for an exchange of reciprocal rights and obligations between the Community and the Islands. We have proposed to the Community that that might best be achieved under a form of association designed to take account of the special circumstances of the Islands.

Mr. Spearing

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the number of foreign and non-Commonwealth workers entering the United Kingdom for the years 1968, 1969, and 1970, and the comparable numbers of workers entering each country in the European Community from outside the Community in the same years.

Mr. Sharples

The numbers of foreign workers entering the United Kingdom were as follows:

1968 1969 1970
44,978 47,852 47,654

As regards the second part of the Question, the following are approximate figures for entry into the Community as a whole:

1968 1969 1970
358,000 692,000 741,000