asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the directives and regulations approved by the Council of Ministers of the EEC since the conclusion of accession negotiations; the date on which they were approved; the date from which they become operative; the date on which a copy of each approved directive or regulation was received; and if he is satisfied that there is no undue delay in the receipt of such copies.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Membership of EEC.
15.
Acts adopted by the Council of Ministers are published in the official journal of the European Communities shortly after their adoption and copies of the journal are received without delay. We are, of course, consulted before decisions are taken by the Council and are therefore aware of the content of decisions before publication.
Arrangements will be made to have copies of the official journal placed in the Oireachtas Library.
How soon after the directives are agreed are they published in the official journal? Is the Minister aware that the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries was unable to answer a specific question about a particular directive about six weeks after it had actually been passed by the Council of Ministers?
The information I have is that they are published shortly after being adopted and we get them about two days after that. I have not the actual time between their adoption and when they are published. The information I have is that it is a short time.
Could the Minister tell me if the draft directives on farm modernisation, which are very important to this country, have as yet been published and are available in English in this country?
The English language version of the journal will not be available until the end of the year. I have asked that existing copies of the journal should be available in the Library. The questions put down by the Deputy have created a problem because there are so many of these questions put down seeking information that the time and the cost would hardly be warranted. On specific matters and any particular directive the Minister and the Department involved should be able to tell the Deputy quickly. If he cannot identify which Department then if he asks me I will tell him which Department to ask.
Is the Minister aware that this House is entitled to know exactly what is going on? His Department should be in a position to keep a register of all decisions and directives submitted, published or agreed by the Community and have that available at any time. There should be no difficulty whatever in getting the information which I am seeking in this question. The fact that the Minister is not able to give this information is an indictment of the interest which he and his Department are taking in the EEC and in the ongoing decisions which are, in fact, taking place now since the conclusion of the negotiations which vitally affect this country.
The Deputy is patently wrong when he says we are not interested in the EEC. We conducted the negotiations.
Judge the results.
The Deputy might not be aware that since 1961 the different Departments with particular areas of involvement have kept note of directives and decisions made. It is not just since the end of the negotiations.
Why have they not got the information?
If the Deputy has any particular one on which he wants information then he goes to the Department concerned and in that Department the information will be available. To ask that we put Civil Service time at it now to get them all together in one bundle would not be warranted because of the other work we have available. If the Deputy insisted it would take about three weeks to do it. There are about 70 regulations and directives and about 460 drafts since the end of the negotiations.They are known to us but they are properly apportioned to the Departments which will be dealing with them.
Could the Minister not direct that this information be made available?
The journal with the title and the date of publication will be available to the Deputy in the Library.
When did the Minister do that?
Question No. 16. Will Deputy Bruton please allow questions to continue?
I have asked that this information be made available in the Library.
The Minister has only given that directive now.
I did not say "now". It is the Deputy who said "now".
When did the Minister give that directive?
I am not in court. I am in the Dáil, in the Parliament.
The Minister is not doing his job, wherever he is.
I do not think many people would agree with the Deputy.
The Minister will appreciate that people on this side of the House whose responsibility it is to follow up what is going on have to make their own arrangements in Brussels to supply themselves with the documents. The 28th March document to which Deputy Bruton originally referred was available here only because people took the trouble to get it directly. Would the Minister agree that people with special interest in these matters on this side of the House might be facilitated by being given copies of these documents, possibly photostats made available by the Departments?
Members of the House of Commons in London get them.
Deputies can get these without coming in here and accusing me of not doing their work for them. The Departments involved directly in the EEC get copies. The main Opposition party were given copies.
The three directive documents of 28th March concerned with different aspects of the farms policy were of considerable interest to many people. Fine Gael got them directly, I understand Deputy FitzGerald got them, and I got them directly.
Apparently one section of Fine Gael got them and others were not aware of them.
We cannot all afford the air fare to Brussels. The Minister is charged with the responsibility to make information available to us.
I am not charged with the responsibility to do Deputies' work for them. Deputies who do not do their own work should not come in here and accuse me of not doing that work for them.
The Minister does not facilitate Deputies on this side of the House.
On one occasion during questions the Taoiseach discussed the possibilities with the spokesman of Fine Gael. They talked about making some such arrangements and I will see if it can be done.
(Cavan): If they were placed in the Library, even at this late stage—
Yes, in French.
16.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the draft directives or regulations, as yet unapproved by the Council of Ministers of the EEC, which have been received since the commencement of negotiations; the date of publication of each draft directive or regulation; the date on which it was received; if it is proposed to make copies available to Deputies, Senators and the Oireachtas Library; and if he will indicate if consultations on the subject matter of the draft directive or regulation have taken place either with the EEC or interested organisations in Ireland.
As I have indicated in earlier replies, the official journal of the Communities will be made available in the Library. The journal contains the draft directives and regulations which have been published by the Community. A large number of drafts which have not yet reached a stage at which they can be published in the journal and which are regarded as internal documents of the Community are also received.
I have given in an earlier reply information on the matters which have been the subject of consultations with the Community. Consultations with interested organisations in Ireland take place as appropriate.
Could the Minister tell us how it is proposed to make internal documents available to Members of the House?
That is the problem the Taoiseach dealt with tentatively in his discussion with Deputy Ryan in the House. We have to make some arrangements whereby the confidentiality of the documents would be appreciated by all those given access to these documents.
Would this facility be extended to both Opposition parties?
Surely.
We should appreciate if it were done.
If we could get agreement on the preservation of the confidentiality of such documents——
The people of Ireland are not to know?
They are confidential documents. I could say something across to the Deputy which he could hear but which others could also hear.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil bought a pig in a poke, and why tell anybody about it now?
17.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of Ministerial meetings which have taken place in pursuance of the agreed procedure for consultation between applicant countries and existing EEC members; the date of each of these meetings; the matters discussed; and the Minister by whom Ireland was represented at each of the meetings.
18.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of meetings of the interim committee of representatives of the Communities and the applicant countries which have taken place since negotiations concluded under the agreed procedure for consultation with the applicant countries; the dates of these meetings; the subjects discussed; and by whom Ireland was represented.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together.
There have been 11 meetings to date of the interim committee. With your permission, I propose to circulate with the Official Report a note giving the dates of the meetings and the matters discussed. Representation has been by a delegation led by the Head of the Mission to the European Communities. There have to date been no meetings at Ministerial level with any applicant country.
Following is the note referred to:—
MEETINGS TO DATE OF THE INTERIM COMMITTEE PROVIDED FOR UNDER THE INFORMATION/CONSULTATION PROCEDURE AGREED WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY AND MATTERS DISCUSSED.
11th Meeting, 24th May, 1972.
1. Council Directive on Organisation of Co-ordinated Short-Term Statistical Enquiries in Industry and Trade.
2. Declaration of the Community in regard to Danish Parliamentary Bills (this item was postponed to the next IC Meeting).
3. International Sugar Agreement.
4. Supply of enriched uranium by the United States.
10th Meeting, 15th May, 1972.
1. Draft supplementary directive concerning the negotiations with the non-applicant member and associated states of EFTA.
2. Draft supplementary directives to the Commission concerning improvement of the conditions of supply of enriched uranium from the United States.
9th Meeting, 2nd May, 1972.
1. Draft supplementary directives on negotiations with the EFTA member and associate states which have not applied for membership.
2. Draft mandate for negotiations with Algeria.
3. (i) Draft Council Regulation on notification to the Commission of the European Communities of investment plans of Community interest in the petroleum, natural gas and electricity sectors.
(ii) Draft Council Regulation on notification to the Commission of the European Communities of hydrocarbon imports.
4. Statement by the Community delegation on Danish, Irish and Norwegian observations concerning the resolution of the Council and the representatives of the Governments of the Member States on the application of the resolution concerning the phased achievement of economic and monetary union in the Community.
8th Meeting, 14th April, 1972.
1. Council Directive on the approximation of the Member states' legislation relating to insurance for third-party liability arising out of the use of motor vehicles and to frontier controls on compliance with third-party insurance requirements.
2. European Social Fund (Community statement).
7th Meeting, 28th March, 1972.
1. Joint guidelines evolved by the Council with regard to agricultural price policy measures.
2. Joint guidelines evolved by the Council with regard to agricultural reform (structures).
3. Draft Council regulation on the limitation of exports of skim milk powder.
4. Draft Council regulation amending regulation (EEC) No. 823/68 laying down the groups of products and special provisions for calculation of levies in the milk and milk products sector, with regard to the designation of certain products.
5. EMU Resolution of 21/3/72.
6th Meeting, 27th March, 1972.
Preparations for the 3rd UNCTAD.
5th Meeting, 15th March, 1972.
Draft resolution of the Council and the representatives of the Governments of the Member States on the application of the resolution of 22nd March, 1971 on the phased achievement of economic and monetary union within the Community.
4th Meeting, 25th February, 1972.
1. Draft Directive fixing common rates for the tax on accretion of capital.
2. Opening of negotiations with Uruguay for the purpose of concluding a non-preferential trade agreement.
3. Regulation No. 1408/71 (Social Security Arrangement for Migrant workers and their families).
4. Notification to GATT of the instruments relating to the enlargement of the Communities.
3rd Meeting, 7th February, 1972.
1. Supplementary directive in connection with the negotiations with the EFTA member and associated States which have not applied for membership of the Communities.
2. Application by Mauritius for association status.
3. Proposed terms of reference for negotiation with Uruguay.
4. Amendments of the Articles of Association of the "Kernkraftwerk Obrigheim" (KWO) Joint Enterprise.
2nd Meeting, 2nd February, 1972.
1. Consultation of the acceding countries as regards trade negotiations between the EEC and the USA.
2. Negotiating mandate for the negotiations between the EEC and the non-applicant EFTA countries.
1st Meeting, 28th January, 1972.
1. Negotiations with EFTA member and associated states which have not applied for membership.
2. Decision of the Icelandic Government to extend its fishing limits to 50 nautical miles as from 1st February, 1972 (Consultations between the Community and the United Kingdom.)
19.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs what documents and communications were received from the Commission of the EEC pursuant to its undertaking in the negotiations that it would inform candidate states of all proposals or memoranda which might lead to Council of Ministers' decisions once they had been submitted to the Council; and if he will state in regard to each of these the date on which it was submitted to the Council of Ministers, the date on which it was received by his Department, the action, if any, taken in relation to it and if any Council decisions have in fact arisen from it.
Many of the documents and communications received from the Commission under the procedure described by the Deputy are internal Community working documents and it would not be open to me to publish information about these. Documents other than those are published in the official journal of the Communities, as are the decisions taken by the Council of Ministers.
I have indicated in an earlier reply that arrangements will be made to have copies of the journal placed in the Library.
Is it not the case that the journal is published in French and is the Minister prepared to make arrangements to facilitate Members of the House who wish to find out about various items but who have not the facility of French?
I said that since 1961 each Department have been tabulating the various directives. There are hundreds of them. Documents relating to any particular directive or area in which any Deputy might be interested will be available in one or other of the Departments concerned, in English if the Deputies ask for it in English. If the Deputy has any difficulty in knowing which Department to go to, my Department will tell him, and take him by the hand there if necessary.
Is the Minister aware that if these matters have been tabulated there should be no difficulty in making the tabulation available to Deputies? Is he aware that each of these questions was put down to individual Ministers but they were all directed to him? These could be compiled in a way which would enable the answers to be given.
I have dealt with the matters in which the Deputy has a special interest. To do what he has said would take a great deal of time, about three weeks of work, and I do not think what he would get would be any more useful to him than reading them in the journal or dealing with the different Departments.
Would it not be very useful to Members of the House to have a list of these directives and their subject matter so that if they were interested in a particular subject they could look up the directives? A Deputy might not know that there was a directive on a certain subject.
If the Deputy had asked the Department concerned with the particular matter——
That is what I tried to do but the questions were all addressed to the Minister.
Is an accumulative index being prepared and if so is there a copy available in Dublin?
I will find that out for the Deputy.