§ Mr. Spearingasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer at which EEC Council EEC Regulation 9651/80 was approved; what is the purpose of the regulation; what benefit it is designed to confer on any part of the Community; what are the estimated costs; and what provision has been made for this expenditure in the 1980 budget.
§ Mr. LawsonI assume that the hon. Member is referring to Community Document 9651/80 which was deposited in Parliament on 25 September. The document is a proposal for a transfer within the Commission section of the Community budget and concerns provision for the Community's participation in the international energy exhibition to be held in Knoxville, USA in 1982.
The decision that the Commission should participate in this exhibition was taken by the Commission in accordance with the powers delegated to it under the Treaty of Rome.
The Commission subsequently proposed the transfer of 85,000 eua (approximately £50,000) from the reserve chapter of its budget in order to provide for the cost of preparatory work.
Since the proposal involves a transfer of funds within the existing total of the Community budget there is no extra cost to the Community this year.
The expenditure involved is classified as "non-obligatory". It is, therefore, the European Parliament which will take the final decision on the proposal. The Council is required to give its opinion on the proposal. The Finance Council gave a favourable opinion on 20 October.