Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 9 Ebrill 1986.
Mr Geoffrey Howe
, East Surrey
12:00,
9 Ebrill 1986
The hon. Gentleman has made three points. First, it is important to control expenditure and to sustain budget discipline. It is always heartwarming to have support for that proposition from the Opposition.
Secondly, the hon. Gentleman says that it is important to achieve and to sustain continuing reform of the CAP. It is heart-warming, too, to hear that proposition advanced by the Opposition.
Thirdly, it is desirable that the Fontainebleau agreement should remain in existence for as long as possible to sustain the extremely beneficial arrangements for the United Kingdom. I endorse all three propositions.
The Opposition are the political parties in the House of Commons other than the largest or Government party. They are called the Opposition because they sit on the benches opposite the Government in the House of Commons Chamber. The largest of the Opposition parties is known as Her Majesty's Opposition. The role of the Official Opposition is to question and scrutinise the work of Government. The Opposition often votes against the Government. In a sense the Official Opposition is the "Government in waiting".
