HL Deb 16 October 1995 vol 566 cc84-5WA
Lord Tebbit

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Into which, if any, areas the competence of the European Union has been extended in the last five years; and

Whether any areas of competence have been returned from the European Union to the nation states during the last five years.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

In the Maastricht Treaty the Member States of the European Union agreed to clarify or extend the scope for action by the European Community in a number of areas. These are set out in the Answer given to Mr. Bernard Jenkin on 8 July 1995 in another place. Under the principle of subsidiarity, which was codified as a binding Treaty provision by the Maastricht Treaty, the European Community is to act only where action at the Community level is lawful and justified and does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve the objectives of the EC Treaty. In the areas of health, education, training and culture the Treaty explicitly limits the scope for Community action.