§ Mr. Martenasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it a condition of future grants that the Government carry out checks at intervals upon the expenditure by the European Movement of the grant of £20,000 to ensure that the programme of exchanges and visits with Western Europe are equitably divided between Common Market and non-Common Market countries and that the accounts of the European Movement be made fully available for public inspection.
§ Mr. HattersleyIt is already a condition of the grant to the British Council of the European Movement that its books and accounts will be open to inspection by the Comptroller and Auditor General in so far as they relate to expenditure of the grant from public funds. The BCEM also provides quarterly statements of detailed programme expenditure against the grant. I am satisfied that these arrangements ensure adequate control of expenditure under the grant.
As I told the House in answer to a Question on 26th June—[Vol. 875, c. 452.]—the grant is used to finance exchanges and visits with countries in Western Europe as a whole.
The accounts of the British Council of the European Movement are required to be published and filed annually with the Registrar of Companies in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 1948.