§ Mr. CashTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the effect of transfers of European Communities moneys expressed in SEC (1998) 153 on the Single Currency information programme. [37772]
§ Mrs. LiddellThis transfer covers expenditure under two EC Budget lines relating to the Commission's information and communication policy: B3–300 (General information and communication work concerning the European Union) and B3–306 (Information programme for European citizens (Prince) Information activities in connection with specific policies), which covers expenditure on the Single Currency information programme.
When the 1998 EC budget was adopted, in respect of B3–306 the European Parliament entered 15 million ecu (about £10 million1) in commitment appropriations and 10 million ecu (about £6.7 million) in payment appropriations in the Reserve pending further information on the breakdown and coverage of resources between the two main information campaigns for 1998: "Euro, a single currency for Europe" and "Building Europe Together". 220W The Commission attached detailed plans on both campaigns to the transfer proposal.
1Converted at the rate of £1=1.4998 ecu, which is the rate set for UK VAT and Fourth Resource contributions to the 1998 Community Budget.