Mr. SiliarsTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what assessment he has made of the impact that the Single European Act will have on his Department's operation of domestic policy; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe impact of the Single European Act cannot be measured precisely given that many measures taken under new or amended provisions of the EEC treaty could have been taken under powers existing in the treaty before amendment. However the main areas within my Department's responsibility affected by the SEA are:
- (i) research and development and environmental aspects of emergency operations;
- (ii) operations which might affect the internal market. In this context the Council has generally endorsed a communication by the Commission on completing the
392 internal energy market—COM (88) 283 of 2 May 1988, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.