European Union (Amendment) Bill

I was around at the time and I was sent to the European Social Council meetings to delay implementation. The noble Lord is right to say that it was introduced as a health and safety measure because that required a qualified majority vote, whereas if it was dealt with as an employment measure it required unanimity. The noble Lord has been rather rude about John Major but he should give him a little credit because he secured not only the opt-out from the social chapter, which this Government gave away on their election in 1997, but he also secured an opt-out on the single currency. That is why we are not in the single currency. Given his views, the noble Lord ought to be a little more polite about the previous Prime Minister.