§ Mr. Robert Edwardsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1) whether he will instruct the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Council of Europe to support in the Committee of Ministers a grant of 50,000 French francs for 1967 to the European Intermunicipal Exchanges Development Plan, this being the amount that has been granted in previous years;
(2) whether he will instruct the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Council of Europe to vote in favour of a permanent sub-head in the Council of Europe Budget for assistance to the European Intermunicipal Exchanges Development Plan;
(3) whether he will instruct the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the Council of Europe to suggest 159W that the grant for the operation of the Intermunicipal Exchanges Development Plan, which was lanched in 1962 and has achieved good results, should be increased as appropriate in subsequent years so that it may continue to function and in so doing help to spread the idea of European unity.
§ Mr. George ThomsonMember Governments of the Council of Europe are at present reviewing the whole question of the Intermunicipal Exchanges Development Plan and its financing.
When the Plan was set up in 1962 it was understood that it would in due course become self-financing. It does not therefore follow that, because grants have been made in past years, the Council of Europe will continue to finance this Plan indefinitely.