§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what moneys the European Economic Community and its institutions have spent under the European Economic Community budget for purposes which are not provided for under the treaty of Rome, in the last available annual period.
§ Mr. BrookeI have been asked to reply.
I assume that the hon. Member has in mind the category of expenditure defined in article 203 of the treaty as spending which does not necessarily result from the treaty or from acts adopted in accordance with it. This is generally known as non-obligatory expenditure. Provision for such expenditure in the 1988 budget is 11.6 becu (£8 billion) in commitments and 10.1 becu (£7 billion) in payments.