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European Communities (Finance) Bill

I accept my hon. Friend's observations. There is and must be a sense of frustration out there among the public. When we talk to our constituents, we find that about 50 or 60 per cent. now question the future direction of the European project. About 60 per cent. of our electorate think that it has gone too far and that it is not in this country's national interest. It is no good Labour Members—or, indeed, some Conservative Members who are more pro-Europe than I am—pooh-poohing those people and calling them little Englanders. That is a legitimate concern and we need to listen, understand and act on it. I listened carefully to the Minister earlier when he spoke about immigration in the European context. I am delighted that skilled and talented people want to come and work in this country. I really am, but I wish that we had given a little more thought as to how we could have managed that influx of workers to make it better for us and for them. Although I represent a Conservative seat, the south of my constituency includes what I would call a large working-class area: two of the wards are among the 20 per cent. poorest in the country. I understand—this needs to be confirmed later this week—that in one of my primary schools, English is now the first language of only a minority of students—