§ Mr. Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will set out the arguments on which Her Majesty's Government have based their view that article 75 of the treaty of Rome empowers the Council of Ministers to legislate on road safety matters;
(2) when Her Majesty's Government came to the view that article 75 of the treaty of Rome empowered the Council of Ministers to legislate on road safety matters.
§ Mr. ChopeThe Government have always recognised that there is doubt whether a successful legal challenge could be brought against a Community measure on road safety based on article 75 of the treaty. The arguments on competence were most recently set out during the Standing Committee debate on 13 March 1991 in EC documents 9228/88 and 10333/90 on the compulsory use of seat belts.