§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the subject of fraud in EU aid programmes. [144675]
Mr. Gareth ThomasThe progress of the on-going reforms aimed at improving EC financial accountability was reviewed by the Secretary of State and the representatives of other member states in the discussion of the annual report for 2002 at the November General External Affairs Council. The investigation by the Commission's Internal Audit Service into all Commission directorates and agencies, including AIDCO, will report early in the new year. All accusations of fraud are taken very seriously and followed up by DFID.
Since the late 1990s, DFID has supported the reform of the EC's aid programmes and policies, in particular the establishment of the EuropeAid office, the reform of the Management Committees, the reduction in the backlog of unspent Commission funds and the reform of the financial management of the Commission's external assistance. These measures should improve the transparency and accountability standards of the EC aid programme financial management through better scrutiny, a key and integral feature of the overall reform process.