§ Mr. Teddy TaylorTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the report of the court of auditors in relation to the use of accountancy and other devices by the European Economic Community to deal with their overspending in relation to budgetary controls agreed by the European Council; and what steps he will take to prevent such devices being used in the future in the light of the further increase in Community resources agreed in February 1988.
§ Mr. BrookeI share the concern of the court of auditors about the use of accountancy devices which camouflage the underlying trend of Community expenditure. The new budget discipline arrangements put in place following the February 1988 Brussels European Council, and especially the legally binding controls on agricultural expenditure, address the fundamental problems which prompted the use of such devices in the past.