African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries

HC Deb 22 November 1974 vol 881 cc537-8W

Mr. Roper

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

£m. at outturn prices
				England	Scotland	Wale	Total
1968–69	…	…	…	0.1	—	—	0.1
1969–70	…	…	…	1.9	—	0.1	2.0
1970–71	…	…	…	6.8	0.8	0.3	7.9
1971–72	…	…	…	6.0	0.7	0.6	7.3
1972–73	…	…	…	9.1	1.3	1.2	11.6
1973–74 (Revised estimate)	…	12.0	2.0	1.5	15.5

if he will make a statement on the current state of the negotiations between the European Community and the 44 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Mr. Hattersley

The EEC Council of Ministers will, I hope, take decisions at its next meeting early in December on the remaining major issues in the Protocol 22 negotiations. These include the commodity stabilisation scheme and the size of the next European Development Fund. It had been hoped to conclude these negotiations by the end of November, as agreed at the Kingston Conference in late July. It now seems unlikely that this aim will be achieved, but we hope that it will be possible to hold the final ministerial meeting before the end of the year.