§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer to what extent the application of the Treaty of Rome's rules on or the means and methods of the award of public supply contracts will affect the British system on Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community and on the adoption of the European Economic Community arrangements for co-ordinating procedures for the award of public supply contracts.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinThe aim of Community Directives, made under the Treaty of Rome, is to eliminate national discrimination by public sector bodies in relation to their purchasing activities, and to 223W harmonise procedures to this end. Detailed proposals have been presented very recently by the European Commission to the E.E.C. Council of Ministers; their potential significance for United Kingdom public supply contracts is being 224W studied. But we should not expect to have to move faster in the introduction of new rules than would existing members of the Community, nor to have to apply them over any wider front than do other Community members.