§ Mrs. BrowningTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what infraction proceedings against Her Majesty's Government are being taken by the EU Commission; and when they commenced. [84994]
§ Mr. MacShaneAt any given time, the European Commission will have a number of infractions proceedings against any member state. They will be at different stages of the proceedings.
As of 31 December 2001, the last date for which the Commission has comprehensive public figures, the Commission had 220 infractions cases under examination against the United Kingdom. These cases were opened following a complaint or at the own Commission's initiative. Those cases will have commenced over a variety of years, some even dating back to 1978.
We are working with the Commission to resolve the outstanding cases.