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Relaunching the Single Market: EUC Report

Thank you very much. I thank all Members who participated in the debate. We may not have had the quantity but we have certainly had the quality, which has been very good. I should like to proceed in the order of speakers. The noble Lord, Lord Bradshaw made a point about the infraction proceedings. We have not faced up to the fact but will have to consider that the backlog of work in the Court of Justice is considerable. This is one of those bottlenecks. I think we are always pussyfooting around anything to do with the judiciary—we cannot touch it because it is sacrosanct. However, there is something that the Government should do about trying to hasten the solution of these problems before the Court of Justice. The noble Lord is right about the infractions. As he knows, we wanted them addressed speedily and we will continue along that route. I welcome very much the remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, about protectionism, which I mentioned. The big thing, when we have an economic disaster, as we have had over the past three years, is that people tend to go back into their huts and do not want to venture out. They do not think about going out and making an opportunity out of a disaster. This is a very valid point: we cannot afford to think about protectionism. I was very sorry that the noble Lord, Lord Liddle, did not get a welcome from the Poles. They were all so kind to me when I was there a few days after the Summer Recess started. We are in dialogue with them and I am going again to Krakow in about a fortnight to take part in the chairmanship of a discussion about the single market. So I think they like our contribution and they are very genial. I will not make any comments about any other nations—I am sorry. I should also like to thank my noble friend the Minister for her support and for her wise advice, bearing in mind her background. I would point out that professional qualifications are within the remit not of EU Sub-Committee B but of Sub-Committee G. I sat in with the chairman of Sub-Committee G at a meeting in Brussels after a meeting on the single market, so I know about the professional qualifications. This is a matter they should take up with Sub-Committee G. Also, the point that I should like my noble friend to take back to the department is the absolute imperative to enthuse all the citizens of the European Union in this single market. There are a few quick wins we can get in doing that. One of the biggest would be—looking at the noble Lord, Lord Walpole—a total extension of broadband to every citizen in the European Union. We have had endless discussions about the black spots of the UK that still have not had broadband. If we could go forward together and make sure that every European Union citizen was enthused about this we might get somewhere. Then the be-grudgers would have very little to be-grudge about and we should get somewhere. At the risk of boring everybody I repeat what I said, that I am very glad we have had this debate. I am sure that it will make good reading. I particularly want to thank again the Minister and the committee.