EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS (Hansard, 23 January 1976)

§ The Prime Minister

Yes. The following is the text of my letter of 12th January to my hon. Friend the Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow (Dr. Mabon)Thank you for your further letter of 16th December about the introduction of direct elections to the European Parliament. I appreciate the interest shown by yourself and your colleagues in the European Movement and your wish to see things pushed forward. We have of course told our colleagues in Europe that we shall not be dragging our feet, and I can assure you that we have no intention of doing so. You suggest in your letter that there is ample time between now and May or June 1978 to make the legislative arrangements which will be necessary in this country before direct elections can be introduced. This may turn out to be the case, and I can assure you that the Government will do its best to ensure that the legislation is ready in time. But I am sure you will readily appreciate that on a matter of such outstanding importance as direct elections to the European Parliament I could not make commitments to the European Council on the legislation without the fullest prior discussions both with Parliament here and with the political parties' organisations outside Parliament. As I see it, the duty of the Government, following the European Council in Rome last month, is to get these consultations under way as quickly as possible. We hope that it will be possible to publish some proposals shortly after the recess. I would hope that it will be possible for Parliament to debate the issue sometime in February. There is a general consensus in the Community that as many issues as possible, including the fundamental one of the electoral system to be used for the first direct elections, should be left to national authorities for decision. On these questions the Government has an obligation to consult Parliament and it will be for Parliament to decide at what pace the necessary legislation shall proceed. For our part we do not intend to hold the matter up unnecessarily, but to rush Parliament in its consideration of the questions involved would be self defeating.