§ Mr. Leightonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of his officials were sent to Brussels in 1978 to discuss EEC matters; what was the total man-days involved; and what was the cost to public funds of travel and subsistence, including sums reimbursed by the Commission.
§ Mr. Peter Rees [pursuant to his reply, 30 November 1979, c. 820]During 1978 the number of visits made by officials of my departments to Brussels was:
Treasury 210 Customs and Excise about 450 Inland Revenue 14 Most of these were to discuss EEC matters.
Information on the total man-days involved and the cost to public funds of travel and subsistence could only be obtained at the cost of disproportionate time and effort.
The amounts reimbursed by the EEC Commission towards travel and subsistence were:
£ Treasury 24,783 Customs and Excise (about) 36,000 Inland Revenue 1,228