§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of the Transfer of Appropriations No. 16/98 Non Compulsory Expenditure (SEC 1998) 1062 final concerning Section III (Commission Parts A and B), agreed by the Council of Finance Ministers, what are the sums transferred in sterling, the former purpose of those sums and the purposes to which those sums will now be devoted; at which meeting of the ECOFIN Council such transfers were agreed, and which Treasury Minister was present; and if the Government will request the President of the Council when conveying such approval in future to include the original purpose and new purpose to which sums are being devoted in all public documents related thereto. [55694]
§ Ms HewittThis transfers concerns 450,000 ecus (£300,040 at the rate of £1 = 1.4998 ecu which is set for UK VAT and Fourth Resource contributions to the 1998 European Community Budget). This sum is to be transferred from the reserve budget to the Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union. Further details will be found in an explanatory memorandum which is being submitted by HM Treasury to the Select Committee on European Legislation. As a rule, the Council adopts its position on transfer proposals at the first convenient Council meeting following consideration in the Council's Committee of Permanent Representatives. This may not necessarily be a meeting of ECOFIN. Generally speaking, the President of the Council, in conveying approval to a transfer, refers to the original and new purpose to which sums are being devoted.
§ Mr. MitchellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what means transfers of appropriation from one purpose to another within the budget of the European Community are authorised and published; where the public may obtain information concerning such changes and the amounts involved; and if he will list those approved so far in the current financial year, together with details for each. [55692]
§ Ms HewittThe European Commission may make proposals to the budgetary authority (the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament) for the transfer of appropriations between chapters of each EC budget section. In the case of transfers relating to expenditure resulting from Treaties (compulsory expenditure), it is the Council, after consulting the European Parliament, which decides whether or not to approve the Commission's proposal. In the case of transfers relating to other expenditure (non-compulsory expenditure) the roles of the Council and the European Parliament are reversed. The full procedure is set out in Article 26 of the EC's Financial Regulation of 21 December 1977, a copy of which will be placed in the Commons Library. The following list details of transfers that have been proposed so far this year. All transfer proposals are subject to Parliamentary scrutiny, however, and further details may be found in the relevant explanatory memorandum or FCO cover note submitted on each transfer proposal to the Select Committee on European Legislation by the Treasury.
1113WMembers of the public may obtain information on transfers from the published reports of the Select Committee on the European Legislation or directly from the offices of the European Commission.
1114W1115W
EC Budget 1998: Transfers Amount (million ecu) Transfer no. Date of proposal Document no. Commitments Payments Subject Transfer from 1 29 January 1998 SEC(1998)153 23.1 17.1 Information and communication Reserve 2 20 May 1998 SEC(1998)888 8 7 Information and communication Reserve 3 25 February 1998 SEC(1998)347 0.171 Economic and Social Committee/Committee of the Regions Reserve 4 1 April 1998 SEC(1998)560 45 38 Assistance to economic reform and recovery in the New Independent States and Mongolia Reserve 5 2 April 1998 SEC(1998)572 94 0 Measures to accompany the reforms to the economic and social structures in the Mediterranean non-member countries Reserve 6 29 May 1998 SEC(1998)923 30 24 Yugoslavia Reserve 7 20 May 1998 SEC(1998)908 10.1 6.55 EU co-operation with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the New Independent States Reserve 8 14 May 1998 SEC(1998)811 245.5 Loan Guarantee Fund Loan Guarantee Reserve 9 13 May 1998 SEC(1998)809 0.7 0.5 European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Reserve 2 Drugs Agency 10 19 June 1998 SEC(1998)883 2 Administration Reserve 11 3 June 1998 SEC(1998)948 4.4 Economic and Social Committee/Committee of the Regions Reserve 12 4 June 1998 SEC(1998)947 2.195 European Court of Justice Reserve 13 11 June 1998 SEC(1998)1022 4 3 Justice & Home affairs Reserve 14 10 June 1998 SEC(1998)1023 15 15 Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation Reserve 15 19 June 1998 SEC(1998)1056 0 3.25 International Fisheries Agreements Reserve 16 19 June 1998 SEC(1998)1962 0.45 Management of resources Reserve 17 19 June 1998 SEC(1998)1063 1 0.5 Safety at work Reserve 18 26 June 1998 SEC(1998)1101 5.59 13.58 Staff and administrative expenditure of EC delegations 19 5 August 1998 SEC(1998)1363 3.8 Disarmament and prevention of conflicts Financial protocols with Malta and Cyprus 20 23 June 1998 SEC(1998)1229 50 50 Contribution to European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for Chernobyl Shelter fund Reserve 21 25 June 1998 SEC(1998)1230 11 0 Energy policy Reserve 22 16 September 1998 SEC(1998)1407 2.4 (non-difference) Postal charges and telecommunications Reserve 23 10 July 1998 SEC(1998)1231 0.26 Interinstitutional co-operation Staff in active employment 24 15 July 1998 SEC(1998)1262 150 100 Humanitarian aid Emergency aid reserve 25 9 September 1998 SEC(1998)1525 3 2 New Transatlantic agenda Reserve 26 9 September 1998 SEC(1998)1498 1.1 (non-difference) Operation of radio and television studios and audiovisual equipment Reserve
EC Budget 1998: Transfers Amount (million ecu) Transfer no. Date of proposal Document no. Commitments Payments Subject Transfer from 27 9 September 1998 SEC(1998)1513 0 8 Support for democracy in central and eastern Europe Co-operation with the republics formerly part of Yugoslavia 28 16 September 1998 SEC(1998)1544 0 810 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) Guarantee Section (Arable crops, sugar, sheepmeat and goatmeat, refunds on certain goods obtained by processing agricultural products) EAGGF Guarantee Section (Fruit and vegetables vine products, milk and milk products, beef/veal, pigmeat, other measures) 29 11 September 1998 SEC(1998)1528 0.95 (non-difference) Court of Justice—movable property and associated costs Provisional appropriations 30 28 September 1998 SEC(1998)1616 5 (non-difference) Publishing Reserve 31 18 September 1998 SEC(1998)1552 0.4 (non-difference) Meetings of the Committee of the Regions (COR) COR joint interpreting service, publications, basic salaries, family and expatriation allowances