§ Lord Pearson of Rannochasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many European Parliament buildings are in existence or under construction; in which countries of the European Communities; and for how many days each year the European Parliament sits in each of them; for what average length of time per sitting day and at what annual cost.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyThe European Parliament rents five buildings in Strasbourg costing £11.2 million a year, five buildings in Luxembourg costing £10.9 million a year, and nine buildings in Brussels costing £25.5 million a year. A further building in Strasbourg is under construction, payment for which will start in 1997.
Plenary sessions are held in Strasbourg and Brussels. In 1995 these sessions are scheduled to be held on 12 days in Brussels and 60 days in Strasbourg. The average daily sitting during the Brussels sessions in 1994 was seven hours. For the Strasbourg sessions it was six hours. In addition to the six hours spent each day in the chamber in Strasbourg, MEPs attend other meetings outside it such as committee or political group meetings. The Brussels building is also used all the year round for office accommodation, committee meetings and other purposes.