§ Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with his European Community counterparts regarding the decisions by West Germany, France and Benelux countries to abolish border checks on people on their common frontiers.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe United Kingdom is not associated with the Schengen agreement, which is an agreement between five neighbouring countries sharing long land frontiers, and we have had no formal discussions about it. The questions of progress under the agreement and its relationship to developments across the Community have, however, arisen from time to time in informal discussions which my predecessor and I have had with Community colleagues, and also in collective meetings of Ministers of member states of the Community. I anticipate further discussions of that kind, and we shall certainly follow developments with close interest.
§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has considered the implications of the Schengen agreement and supplementary agreements; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MaudeI have been asked to reply.
The Schengen agreement is an arrangement between France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg to abolish land frontier controls between their countries. Their work is separate from the discussions on free movement of people which are taking place among all member states of the European Community.
We shall naturally be interested in the experience of the Schengen partners in reducing frontier controls.