asked the Minister for External Affairs what steps his Department have taken to ensure that the suggestion that the United Kingdom should join the EEC in advance of Ireland is not proceeded with; and what assurances his Department have received from member governments of the community that the Irish negotiations for membership will be initiated at the same time as negotiations with the United Kingdom and, that in so far as negotiations with the United Kingdom proceed ahead of negotiations with this country, the Irish Government will be consulted throughout these EEC-UK discussions, in accordance with the resolution passed at the recent European Movement Study Conference in Dublin.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Membership of EEC.
30.
We have made known to each of the Governments of the Six and to the Commission in Brussels our serious concern about any suggestion that Britain should join the EEC in advance of Ireland and there is no indication that the idea has the official support of any of the member Governments of the community. Our desire for concurrent negotiations and for simultaneous entry with Britain is fully understood by all concerned.
Would the Minister comment on the fact that he has received no satisfaction from the British Foreign Secretary on this subject and will he say whether we have received within the past 12 years any assurances from Britain with regard to the simultaneous participation with Britain in any new arrangement with the EEC?
I am not aware of seeking any satisfaction or being denied it at any time. The British officially stated attitude is simultaneous admission of the four countries.
Is the Minister satisfied that the British have never made application for separate consideration of their application?
This idea of a community of seven did not arise in any official quarters but there are rumours which reached us and, obviously, reached everybody else too, of a movement to have Britain admitted first as, in the minds of some people, perhaps, a means of speeding up the enlargement of the community. There is no official support for that at this time.
When the Minister says "No official support", does he mean at the commission?
The commission's attitude is that all four applicants should be examined together. This attitude was determined, I think, in 1967. They have not changed from that. These next few days will see again a meeting of the commission and they may examine this idea again but their attitude, as stated to me, is that they would welcome the application examination, negotiation and entry of the four applicants simultaneously.
Does the Minister mean the commission or the Council of Ministers?
The commission. I met some of the Ministers too and as far as I could ascertain, their attitude too, individually, was in favour of simultaneous negotiations.
Do I take it that the Minister's policy is only to negotiate in conjunction with Britain, that Ireland is not going to negotiate independently with regard to its entry into the EEC? Would he not take into consideration the fact that the advantages that we gain from entry to the EEC are largely agricultural as against the British initiative, which is largely industrial and, on the basis of that fact, does he not consider it desirable that Ireland should negotiate on its own as a separate individual, sovereign nation?
I think the Deputy can be assured that our application, our negotiations, will be separate but, because of our economic ties with Britain, it would be desirable to commence at the same time and to finish negotiations at the same time. But our negotiations will be done as a separate sovereign nation, if the community decide on an enlarged community and accept the application.
Was the Minister able to overcome the effort of Deputy FitzGerald and his colleagues to sabotage our entry into the EEC?
(Interruptions.)
Did not Lemass say we would go it alone?
Question No. 31. Order.
Would Deputy Crowley like to enlarge on that statement?
I have called Question No. 31.
31.
asked the Minister for External Affairs whether steps have been taken to acquire full information on the existing and proposed regulations of the EEC with regard to professional qualifications, and to transmit this information to Irish professional bodies and institutions of higher education with a view to encouraging such adjustments in Irish courses as might be necessary to ensure the acceptance of Irish professional qualifications in EEC countries in future; and whether with a view to ensuring that this information is available to Members of this House he will make it available and keep it up to date in the Dáil Library.
Our mission to the communities, as a matter of course, obtains all available information on this subject and this is passed to the home Departments concerned for transmission at the appropriate stage to interested institutions and organisations in Ireland. I might mention that the communities' official journal publishes the text of the draft regulations when approved by the commission and also after they have been adopted as directives by the council.
Could I ask the Minister whether, in fact, these many proposals or regulations have been communicated to the `special' interests concerned? Is the Minister aware that these involve very detailed proposals for courses, going into such detail, for example, as to whether 20 or 30 hours should be given to practical teaching of a particular subject? In these circumstances in view of the importance of ensuring that our qualifications are accepted in other countries, has he made sure that all these regulations in draft and when finalised are communicated to the relevant professional bodies here? My experience is that they are not aware of these in some cases and do not seem to have received any information from the Minister's Department.
All I can do is ascertain from the Departments concerned that the answer I have given is, in fact, the actual state of affairs, that Departments do communicate with the institutions.
Are you not afraid that these alien influences will change our way of life here? That seemed to worry you in the last general election.
It worried you, not us.