§ 39. Sir R. Russellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what is meant by the Government's acceptance of Community preference immediately upon entry into the European Economic Community; and if this entails applying the common external tariff of the Six in full against Commonwealth imports from the date of entry.
§ Mr. RipponAcceptance of the principle of Community preference means acceptance of the Community systems which create the trade advantage which member States have with each other compared with third country suppliers.
The application of the Common External Tariff of the Community to imports from Commonwealth countries will be governed by a number of factors, including agreements reached in the negotiations on transitional mechanisms and will, in addition, be subject to the suspensions, tariff quotas and safeguards detailed in my statement on 17th May.—[Vol. 817, c. 882–6.]
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) whether, in the event of United Kingdom entry into the European Economic Community, the Northern Ireland Government will be able to continue all the present forms of inducement they offer to encourage industrial investment;
218W(2) whether current European Economic Community policy permits the use of investment grants as part of regional development policy.
§ Mr. RipponThe Articles of the Treaty of Rome dealing with regional policy do not prohibit any particular form of regional assistance. Systems of regional aid are subject to scrutiny by the European Commission under Article 93 of the Treaty of Rome, but Her Majesty's Government have no reason to expect that their or the Northern Ireland Government's regional aid policies will face difficulty in this respect.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in the event of United Kingdom entry into the European Economic Community, he expects alteration will be necessary in Northern Ireland transport legislation in order to make it compatible with current Economic Community policy.
§ Mr. RipponThe question is being examined, but it is too early to state what, if any, alteration may be necessary.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Republic of Ireland as to the effect entry into the European Economic Community will have on tariffs levied by the Republic of Ireland at the border with Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. RipponHer Majesty's Government are in close touch with the Government of the Irish Republic on matters arising out of our respective negotiations for membership of the European Communities.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that, in the event of the United Kingdom and Irish Republic entering the European Economic Community, the transition period for the two countries would be the same in all sectors.
§ Mr. RipponHer Majesty's Government are following the progress of the Government of the Irish Republic in their negotiations with the European Economic Community. We do not believe that any 219W fundamental problems will arise over transitional periods.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many letters in cyclostyle format he sent to the hon. Member for West Ham, North with his communication of 10th May; to what extent these were in reply to communications sent to him in favour of and against Great Britain's entry into the European Econmic Community; and in what numbers in each instance.
§ Mr. RipponI wrote to the hon. Member on 10th May enclosing replies to the identical unstamped postcards, over 300 in number, which he sent me under cover of a letter dated 3rd May. The postcards, which bore no indication either of authorship or of publisher, made three points about the effect of British membership of the European Economic Community, and asked the Member of Parliament addressed to vote against British entry.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates in March and April he replied to the 200 to 250 written communications from members of the public about Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community; and what was the nature of these replies.
§ Mr. RipponThe letters from the public referred to by the hon. Member were received at various dates throughout the period in question and covered a wide range of questions and statements about our negotiations for entry into the European Economic Community. Some, congratulating Her Majesty's Government on their conduct of the negotiations, were given a short reply thanking the writer for his sentiments. Others, seeking information or criticising the negotiations, were given more detailed replies. All were answered.
§ Mr. Powellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what total sum he estimates will be expended in the current financial year out of his Vote for all purposes of informing the British public on the subject of the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. RipponIt is not possible to estimate how much time will be spent in the220W current financial year by members of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in answering inquiries from the public on the negotiations, or in drafting ministerial speeches and statements on the British application for membership of the European Economic Community.
The production and distribution of the series of Factsheets on Britain and the Common Market is carried out on the direct sponsorship of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, but their cost is borne on the Central Office of Information and Her Majesty's Stationery Office Votes. The entire operation, which was mounted to meet the demand for factual information, was originally planned to cost about £45,000. The heavy public demand for the Factsheets will involve extra costs. The latest estimate of the total cost based on the current level of demand is £62,000.
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how his recent agreement with the European Economic Community will safeguard the interests of Commonwealth cane sugar producers after 1974, in the event of priority being given to sugar beet production within an enlarged European Economic Community.
§ Mr. RipponI am confident that the sugar policy of the enlarged Community will be determined in accordance with the recent proposal by the Communities to safeguard the interests of the developing sugar-producing countries of the Commonwealth.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will ensure that the instrument of accession, if Great Britain joins the European Economic Community, will enable the British House of Commons to pray for the annulment of orders made by the Council of Ministers.
§ Mr. RipponIf we join the European Economic Community the powers of Parliament in relation to acts of the Council of Ministers will be exercised in the light of the provisions of Article 189 of the Treaty of Rome.
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth 221W Affairs if his recent agreement with the European Economic Community on sugar will enable Commonwealth developing countries to continue to export after 1974 the same quantities of sugar to the United Kingdom market that they have been sending under present arrangements.
§ Mr. RipponI would refer to my statement on 17th May on the Brussels negotiations, in which I said that there would be room in an enlarged Community, of which Britain would be part, for present quantities of sugar from the developing sugar-producing countries of the Commonwealth.—[Vol. 817, c. 886.]
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what agreement has been reached with the European Economic Community on imports of zinc into the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. RipponI would refer to the final paragraph of the statement I circulated on 17th May in the OFFICIAL REPORT, which sets out the solutions agreed for the tariff treatment of industrial materials, including zinc—[Vol. 817, c. 905–6.]
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to make a statement following his consultations with Commonwealth countries about the recent agreement with the European Economic Community on sugar.
§ Mr. RipponA decision on this must await the holding of the consultations.
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the meaning of the words, until recently, as used in Factsheet on Britain and Europe No. 4 in connection with a statement that the Six had been spending less proportionately on defence than had Great Britain, in view of the fact that the latest available information shows that Great Britain is still spending a higher proportion of Gross National Product on defence than any of the European Economic Community countries.
§ Mr. RipponThere is no discrepancy between the phrase quoted by the hon. Gentleman and the figures to which he refers. The words "until recently" refer222W to the relevance of defence spending as a factor in economic growth, and not to the proportion of national resources spent on defence by Britain and the European Economic Community member States. Because of the considerable economies made in British defence expenditure in the 1960s, the factor of a lesser amount of national resources spent by the European Economic Community member States than by Britain is no longer so relevant as it was.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will recommend the appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate the terms and conditions upon which Great Britain should enter the European Economic Community; on what basis and in what manner British public opinion should be consulted for their views on conditions of entry; and to what extent the floating of European currencies in the weekend of 8th May to 10th May will affect sterling in the short and long term, and Great Britain's economic position on entry into the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. RipponThe answer to the first part of the Question is "No". In answer to the second part of the Question, I would refer to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to my right hon. Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Mr. Turton) on 24th May. As to the last part of the Question, I would refer to what my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer said on 11th May.—[Vol. 818, c. 40–1; Vol. 817, c. 287.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in support of his policy of full prior discussions, he will give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government will not seek to ask Parliament to come to an irrevocable decision on entering the European Economic Community until the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Parties and the Trades Union Congress have held their annual conferences in the autumn and passed opinions on any known terms of entry.
§ Mr. RipponI would refer to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 24th May to my hon. Friend the Member for the Isle of 223W Ely (Sir H. Legge-Bourke) and to the right hon. Members for Huyton (Mr. Harold Wilson) and Leeds, East (Mr. Healey).—[Vol. 818, c. 42–3, 46–7.]
§ Mr. Loughlinasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much public money has been spent by any and each Government Department in the last 12 months in pursuance of Her Majesty's Government's application to join the Common Market; and how much of such moneys has been devoted to internal information services.
§ Mr. RipponI would refer to the reply given to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Arthur Lewis) by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 2nd February and to the figures I gave on 27th May in reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell). Amounts spent on internal information services cannot be separated from other expenditure incurred by Her Majesty's Government in publicising their policies.—[Vol. 810, c. 358.]
§ Mr. Martenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will now give an assurance that the position of the Channel Islands, and particularly Jersey, will be fully safeguarded before Parliament is invited to vote on the question of joining the Common Market.
§ Mr. RipponThroughout the negotiations Her Majesty's Government have borne in mind the position of the Channel Islands. There has been regular consultation with the Island's authorities. Their position has not yet been discussed with the Communities but the views and interests of the Islands will be taken fully into account at the appropriate time.
§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will give an assurance that Northern Ireland will be able to retain its present residence qualifications for social security benefits in the event of United Kingdom entry to the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. MaudlingI have been asked to reply.
224WThis matter is the subject of discussion between the United Kingdom Government and the Community. I have no statement to make at present.