Orders of the Day — European Communities (Amendment) Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 5:23 pm on 20 May 1992.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mr Kenneth Baker Mr Kenneth Baker , Mole Valley 5:23, 20 May 1992

I see that my right hon. Friend the Patronage Secretary is in his place, and he does not have cloth ears, so I dare say that he has heard what my hon. Friend has said. As I understand it, the treaty will be debated exhaustively on the Floor of the House, and it is not for me to comment on that.

The House agreed the Single European Act on that declaration, so it is important. We are told that the declaration might not be worth the paper that it is written on. That is the view of some lawyers, but advice differs and others say that the general declaration is of some significance. So there is doubt and difficulty at the centre of this issue.

If that declaration does not count, from 1 January 1993, we shall not be able to operate our present passport and immigration controls at ports and airports, for example at Heathrow, Gatwick, Dover, Liverpool and Manchester. European Community nationals will be able to come here because that is implicit in the treaty—we have all accepted that EC nationals have the freedom to travel, work and reside within the Community—but it is the rights of non-EC nationals to that freedom of movement which are at issue.