Vol. 272 No. 11
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the preparations the Government are making to deal with the possible failure of Britain's renegotiation of its terms of Common Market membership, which might lead to UK withdrawal from the Community; and whether the Government intends to set up study groups or inter-departmental committees to examine such an eventuality and its implications for Ireland.
21.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will encourage the widest possible public discussion as to what Ireland's response should be if Britain withdraws from the EEC; and if he considers that British withdrawal would radically alter the premises on which Irish public opinion had been urged to approve membership of the Common Market in 1972.
22.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's attitude to the British Government's proposed renegotiation of the terms of membership of the European Community; and the action the Government proposes to take in the matter.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 20, 21 and 22 together.
The Government welcome and will encourage the fullest possible public debate of all aspects of the development of the Community. An inter-departmental committee is in existence and keeps under continuous review the evolving situation of all Community matter.
The question of British withdrawal from the Community is purely speculative. The British Foreign Minister stressed to his colleagues in the Council of Ministers of the Community in Luxembourg on 1st April that he did not hope for a negotiation about withdrawal. For our part we are concerned to preserve the enlarged Community with its present membership and to secure its future progress.
