§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will publish and make available to Members of Parliament the report submitted to him by the Commission of the European Economic Community giving details of the trends in prices and costs in Great Britain and the effects this will have on Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community;
285W(2) whether he will make a statement on the report he has received from the European Economic Community Commission indicating that the rise in prices and costs is likely to prevent the economic expansion in the Common Market, and in particular on the action he intends to take to reduce this rise, in the light of the Commission's report.
§ Mr. NottThe report to which I assume the hon. Gentleman is referring is one by the European Commission to the Council of Ministers of the existing Community, containing recommended guidelines on short-term economic policy addressed to the present members of the Community. It does not address recommendations to the Governments of the acceding States nor does it contain an assessment of the effects which current trends in prices and costs in this country will have on our entry into the Community.
The Government's policy is to bring down the rate of inflation in the United Kingdom to an acceptable level.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a detailed list of the Secondary Legislation of the Rules, Regulations and Decisions of the European Economic Community which will affect his Department and its ministerial responsibilities; in what way each such piece of legislation will affect his departmental activities; and to what extent he has met, or intends to meet, employers, trade unions, industrial representatives and trade associations to discuss the effects of such legislation on British industry in general and matters falling within his ministerial responsibilities.
§ Mr. NottI would refer the hon. Member to Parts 1, 5, 6 and 11 of the European Communities Secondary Legislation as published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Interested organisations and persons have been and will continue to be consulted as necessary.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will give the estimate of the costs of Great Britain's entry into the Common Market at the latest convenient stated date; how this compares with the original estimate; and to what extent the figures in both 286W instances include provision for the strengthening of the roads and bridges in Great Britain.
§ Mr NottI see no reason at present to depart from the estimates of the United Kingdom's contributions to the Community Budget, given in the July, 1971 White Paper "The United Kingdom and the European Communities". As my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has already explained, the combined effect of changes in EEC prices and in world prices since last July is to reduce somewhat the estimates given in the White Paper for the effect of entry into the Community on the United Kingdom's food import bill. The estimates in the White Paper do not include provision for strengthening roads and bridges in Great Britain.—[Vol. 834, c. 167–8.]