HC Deb 28 January 1980 vol 977 c504W
Mr. Harold Walker

asked the Lord Privy Seal what is the current annual cost of Great Britain's participation in the Council of Europe.

Sir Ian Gilmour

In the financial year ending 31 March 1979, the following sums were paid to the Council of Europe:

£
Ordinary and pensions budgets 3,140,938
Extraordinary budget 577,477
Youth budget 92,477
Partial agreement in the social and public health field 62,835.59
European pharmacopoeia 92,646.74

In addition, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent an estimated £230,000 on the United Kingdom permanent delegation in Strasbourg. To arrive at the complete cost of United Kingdom participation in the Council of Europe it would also be necessary to include the cost of Ministerial and official attendance at meetings and the man-hours spent by London-based officials from several Government Departments in preparing briefing. I regret that these costs cannot be provided without disproportionate expenditure of time and resources.