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Mr. Paul Flynn (Newport, West): Before the hon. Gentleman came to the House, I tabled questions about the Cornish language; one was answered by the Secretary of State for Wales, and the next by the Minister for Sport. The Government seem to have difficulty in identifying where Cornwall is.
It is a great joy to hear the hon. Gentleman's pronunciation of Cornish. Every word that he has said in Cornish is immediately understandable to a Welsh speaker. There is great enthusiasm for his case and we hope that it will find a willing audience in the Foreign Office Minister--that gives an extraordinary view of how central Government see Cornwall--who will respond tonight.
Mr. George:
Perhaps not so extraordinary. I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman, and I entirely agree with him. I said earlier that the present Government are not to blame for the problem, but this needs to be sorted out and one Department must take responsibility. We need to know what other hurdles the Cornish language needs to get over to secure recognition under the charter.
The framework convention for the protection of national minorities is also often mentioned in Cornwall. The Government say that they will apply the convention to those groups that fall under the definition of a racial group as set out in the Race Relations Act 1976. As is reasonable, the Government are determined that the Cornish are not a racial group under the Act because there have not been any court rulings on whether it is possible to be discriminated against on the ground of being Cornish. That is right and proper. Cornwall is not claiming that its people are a racial group or that Cornish people, however defined, experience significant discrimination or prejudice.
The problem is whether the Home Office has interpreted the question correctly. It cannot be held that it is necessary to be discriminated against to qualify as a
minority or a racial group. As the Government cannot justify defining groups by referring to national legislation, do they not accept that, in international law, the view is generally held that the existence of a minority is a question of fact, not of law?
I am concerned that article 16 of the framework convention is interpreted by a tiny and extreme minority as being usable to justify policies that control or influence population mix. I seek a reassurance that that sinister interpretation is unacceptable to all. If recognising the Cornish language and culture could be interpreted in that way, we would all oppose it. Surely, European charters and conventions are intended to contribute to a celebratory and constructive role for languages and cultures, not to narrow isolationism.
The debate about how a group is identified as a minority could lead us to a nil sum gain argument which gets everyone nowhere. I refer the Minister back to the preamble of the framework convention, which reflects its spirit. It says:
If Cornwall is to play its full part and achieve its full potential in celebrating the diversity of cultures and languages in the British isles and Europe, it should not be excluded from the European charters as that hinders and damages the emerging self-belief and confidence of the language and cultural revival.
Let me reassure the House--the movement is inclusive. It is not about the Cornish wanting to cut themselves off, but about their wanting to cut into what is going on in a wider Europe. It is not the plaintive cries of the "Stop the world, I want to get off" brigade, because Cornwall wants to get on and get involved. It is time to let Cornish take its proper place, agree a home Department to assess Cornwall's case and move it forward into the charter. After all, it would be absurd not to include Cornish in part II of the charter. Then we could get on with life.
I must emphasise that Cornwall has been going through an exciting and positive revolution in recent years, and it has seen a growing interest in things Cornish. I am particularly proud to say that that is happening in an environment of harmony and celebration. Indeed, when the Keskerdh Kernow, the Cornwall march, took place from St. Keverne in my constituency to London in 1997, the walkers included those who were Cornish born and bred and those who, without apology or explanation, claimed no Cornish ancestry but a love for and commitment to Cornwall. Although there will always be a few absurd and silly people who would prefer things otherwise, that showed the maturity of the modern Cornish community, with Cornish people and those who would not necessarily define themselves as Cornish--although I would--walking shoulder to shoulder and standing up for Cornwall.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Ms Joyce Quin):
I congratulate the hon. Member for St. Ives (Mr. George) on winning this Adjournment debate and speaking on an issue that I know is dear to his heart and to which he has drawn the attention of hon. Members and my ministerial colleagues on several occasions. As he recognised at the end of his speech, I share strongly his beliefs in the importance of regional cultures and traditions and the need to encourage and welcome diversity at the various levels of government in the United Kingdom, the European Union and other institutions, such as the Council of Europe, to which he referred. As a Geordie with a keen interest in the distinctive folk music of my own region, I sympathise with the hon. Gentleman's views, although my playing of the Northumbrian pipes might not be very tuneful to the ears of his constituents.
I am also aware of the interest shown in the subject by the presence of several hon. Members in the Chamber tonight. The Foreign Office's involvement in the debate relates to the fact that my Department has the lead on Council of Europe issues and the charter for regional minority languages, which the hon. Member for St. Ives mentioned, was set up by that body. I must apologise for the absence of my fellow Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Lloyd), who has taken an interest in this issue and recently met the hon. Gentleman, representatives of interested Cornish groups and language experts. My hon. Friend is on a ministerial visit to Africa and regrets that he is unable to be present this evening.
I wish to make clear beyond any doubt the degree of commitment that the Government have to Cornwall. In doing so, I take issue with the comments made by my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) with whom I normally have much sympathy. I can tell him firmly that we are well aware of where Cornwall is on the map and, given the efforts that the Government have put in to securing objective 1 status for Cornwall, I am sure that that will be clear to all the inhabitants of Cornwall. We have a strong commitment to that part of the country and it is an important part of our overall devolution strategy that the regions of England should have greater economic vitality in a decentralised framework. Devolution ensures that many decisions affecting people's day-to-day lives will be taken locally, and that those decisions will take into account local needs, conditions and history.
The creation in the English regions of regional development agencies will benefit Cornwall. Those agencies will help to promote sustainable economic development and will co-ordinate support for business development, including inward investment, training and regeneration. In general, their work will help to develop Cornwall's economy and make Cornwall competitive.
Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly make up one of four areas scheduled to get objective 1 status as a result of the reform of the structural funds in the Agenda 2000
negotiations. The change has come about following lengthy negotiations, in which it was agreed that Cornwall should not continue to be considered as part of a single region, along with Devon, for structural fund purposes. Cornwall's gross domestic product is only 70 per cent. of the European Union average, and so we expect it to qualify for generous EU assistance designed to promote the development and structural adjustment of the area. Financing from Europe may be for as much as 75 per cent. of projects.
It will be up to the regional and local authorities to co-ordinate how the funds should be spent, but a number of sectors of the Cornish economy could get support, including small business development, rural and coastal areas, and the information and communications industries. Structural funds can also be used to promote investors in people. The designation of objective 1 status is a valuable opportunity, although careful planning will be needed to maximise the benefit. I understand that the regional authorities already have programme planning in mind.
"Considering that the creation of a climate of tolerance and dialogue is necessary to enable cultural diversity to be a source and a factor not of division but of enrichment for each society".
It is exactly that enrichment, and not division, that the Cornish language and the identity of its people can contribute.
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