§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward in the current parliamentary Session a Bill to give effect to the own resources decision agreed at the Edinburgh summit.
§ Sir John CopeBefore a Bill to approve the new own resources decision can be introduced, a text must be adopted unanimously in the Council of Ministers. Agreement is at present being blocked by Italy. Once agreement has been reached, and before the new decision can finally be adopted by the Council and sent to member states for their approval, conciliation must take place with the European Parliament.
It is therefore not possible to know when the new own resources decision will be ready for final adoption by the Council and accordingly the Government are not in a position to say when the Bill might be introduced.