§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why £4,000,000 has been allocated in the 1983 Common Market estimates for payments to political parties; what are the procedures under which such sums are set aside in the Common Market budget estimates; and if Her Majesty's 82W Government were given the opportunity or will be given the opportunity to approve or disapprove of such provision.
§ Mr. HurdThe European Parliament draws up its preliminary draft budget. For 1983 this contains proposed provisions of 6.4 million ecu—£3.57 million at the 1983 budget rate of 1.79 ecu to the pound—for the political groups' secretarial and other expenses: and proposed provision of 7 million ecu—£3.9 million—as contribution to the costs of preparation for the next elections, part of which may be passed to the political groups. Under article 203 of the Treaty the proposals for the Parliament's budget are submitted to the Council, but in the case of non-obligatory expenditure such as this the final word rests with the Parliament, subject to the limitations imposed by the provisions for a maximum rate of increase of such expenditure compared with the preceding year.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if Her Majesty's Government will take steps to ensure that no Common Market funds are used directly or indirectly to assist political parties to conduct campaigns for elections to the European Assembly or to any other European democratic or representative Assembly or Parliament; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdNo. The European Parliament's preliminary draft budget for 1983 contains proposed provision of £3.9 million—7 million ecu—for preparations for the next elections in 1984, and part of this may be passed to the political groups. This sum is well below the corresponding provision—£6.4 million—included in the Parliament's 1978 budget at the time of the previous elections.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the estimates of the European Assembly providing for payments of £31,000,000 to political parties in the years 1983 to 1985 will need approval of the Council of Ministers prior to any payment being made.
§ Mr. HurdThe preliminary draft budget of the Parliament for 1983 does not contain such an estimate. Under article 203 of the Treaty the proposals for the Parliament's budget are submitted to the Council, but the final word on the budget provision for non-obligatory expenditure such as this rests with the Parliament, subject to the limitations of the maximum rate.