Mr Denzil Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of jobs in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales were in the (i) public sector and (ii) voluntary sector in the last 12 months for which figures are available.
Mr Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who had been refused political asylum were deported in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Mr Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals lost their appeals to the adjudicator against the refusal of political asylum in the last three years for which figures are available.
Mr Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what percentage by volume of the goods imported into the United Kingdom in the latest available financial year were transported by (a) sea, (b) rail and (c) air.
Mr Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of goods imported from (a) the People's Republic of China, (b) India and (c) Japan into the (i) United Kingdom and (ii) European Union in the last year for which figures are available.
Mr Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of Order 39, issued by Mr. Paul Bremer III.
Mr Denzil Davies: Is it not less than satisfactory for negotiations with 15 individual European Union member states to be headed and conducted by, in effect, a single European Union civil servant? Given that from next May there will be 25 member states, should we not look at the arrangements again? Should not member states that wish to do so be able to conduct their own negotiations, headed by democratically...
Mr Denzil Davies: In an intervention, the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) mentioned the Greek quotation from Thucydides, which is the first sentence of the preamble to the constitution. The translation is: "Our Constitution . . . is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the greatest number." I was surprised to see that quotation, and I cannot really understand why it...
Mr Denzil Davies: Well, it seems to me that the quotation demonstrates much of the humbug and hypocrisy in the way that the European Union works. As Members know, Thucydides was referring to the democracy and constitution of the small city-state of Athens. From my memory of my studies of ancient history, the Athenian citizen could walk down the high street with a pebble in his hand and put it in a pot, or an...
Mr Denzil Davies: It might be more difficult to get agreement on some policies, but there is a fundamental proposition that we should operate on the basis of the best possible democracy. The veto exists to protect Poland and other countries—to protect France, which wants to safeguard its cultural interests—and to protect the democracy of the individual state. If we are concerned about democracy, it is a...
Mr Denzil Davies: Perhaps my right hon. Friend did not use the word "trivial", but he made it clear that many, if not all, of the 30 or so vetoes under the treaty of Nice were really not important at all, and could be cast aside. If he wants to look at the record, we will do that. Is he now saying that the 40 or however many vetoes that are to be abolished are of no consequence? Alternatively, is there some...
Mr Denzil Davies: rose—
Mr Denzil Davies: I want to raise a technical issue that relates to two clauses. It was mentioned briefly in Committee and concerns the possible interaction between clause 197 and schedule 42, and clause 148, with the developing jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice in respect of the "four freedoms", as they are described. In particular, I am concerned about the freedom of establishment, which...
Mr Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list EU policy items which can now be vetoed by member states and which under the draft EU constitution are made subject to qualified majority voting.
Mr Denzil Davies: On the common agricultural policy, my right hon. Friend reminded the House that decisions taken at the European Council require unanimity, but decisions taken at the Agriculture Ministers Council use qualified majority voting. In view of that, can he give us some hope that before long proposals for substantial reform will come from the Agriculture Ministers Council and that that will happen...
Mr Denzil Davies: As the Government appear to have set their face against holding a referendum on the new European constitution, would my right hon. Friend at least give an assurance that when it arrives in its final form, it will be placed before the House in its entirety so that it can be scrutinised, and if necessary amended, line by line and clause by clause?
Mr Denzil Davies: The right hon. and learned Gentleman referred to line-by-line scrutiny. That sounds wonderful, but in respect of most previous treaties, we have considered only Bills setting out areas where they change domestic law. We are not allowed to debate such treaties line by line.
Mr Denzil Davies: Does my hon. Friend agree that the rotating presidency merely demonstrated that the Council of Ministers was not a central institution of the EU, like the Parliament, the European Courts and the Commission? That is why there was a rotating presidency. If we move away from that, we shall turn the Council of Ministers from an institution that represented member states into a kind of...
Mr Denzil Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the total yield in a full year of imposing capital gains tax at present rates on the disposal by individuals of their only or main residences.
Mr Denzil Davies: As a former Treasury Minister in a Labour Government who, after a rigorous analysis, decided that it was not in the national economic interest to join the ERM, may I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his rigorous assessment of the five tests and the sensible conclusion that he has reached? However, he will remember that in addition to the five tests there was also a question about whether...
