Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 10:15 pm on 16 November 1983.
I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman recalls it, but I mentioned exactly that point. I said that I had good reason to doubt whether the Commission would have accepted any further delay in the nine months between the court's decision and the laying of the regulations. The Commission pressed us extremely hard during that nine months. I do not believe that we could have gone any further without laying the regulations.