§ Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many European Commissioners there were in January 1972; and how many there will be following the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden; what additional functions the Commission has been given since 1 January 1972; what was the cost of the Commissioners and their cabinets in 1972; and what it will be in 1995.
§ Mr. BaldryThere were nine members of the European Commission in January 1972. When Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the Union on 1 January this year, the number of Commissioners became 20. The 1986 Single European Act and the 1993 Maastricht treaty extended the areas of Community activity in which the Commission has functions to perform. These areas include the environment, research, education and health. There is no separate line in the EC budget covering the basic salaries of the Commissioners and their cabinets. We could provide these figures only at disproportionate cost.