§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will raise at the next meeting of the Agriculture Council the substantial payments allegedly made from European Economic Community funds for the bogus export of non-existent fruit juice from Sicily as a means of financing the Mafia organisation; if he will take immediate steps to ascertain the precise amount of public funds involved; and if he will further seek to ensure that further such frauds are prevented;
(2) if he will take steps to deduct from the United Kingdom's European Economic Community contribution that part of common agricultural policy expenditure which relates to the provision of common agricultural policy funds to the Mafia organisation in Sicily for the claimed delivery of non-existent fruit. juice to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation headquarters in Naples and other alleged customers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Jopling[pursuant to the reply, 12 February 1987]: Community law requires that member states must satisfy themselves that transactions financed by the CAP are actually carried out and executed correctly, and must recover sums lost as a result of fraud or negligence.
The European Commission carries out a full audit before clearing the accounts of member states. If it discovers that Community funds have been used improperly due to negligent administration it has power to reclaim them in full from the state concerned.