HC Deb 07 November 1995 vol 265 cc697-702W
Sir Teddy Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral answer of the Attorney-General of 30 October,Official Report, column 12, relating to decisions of the European

Judgements in cases before the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights in which United Kingdom Departments have participated since 16 October 1993
European Court of Justice
Date of ECJ Judgement Reference Case description Cost to UK Public Funds (excluding the cost of Government counsel)
20 October 1993 C92/92 Colins v. Imrat Handelsgesellschaft None
27 October 1993 C338/91 Mme H Steenhorst-Neerings v. Bestuur van de Bedrijfsver eniging voor Detailhandel Ambachten en Huisvrouwen None
27 October 1993 C337/91 Mme A M van Gemert-Derks v. Bestuur van de Nieuwe Industriele Bedrijfsverenigine None
27 October 1993 C93/91 Evrard None
27 October 1993 C69/91 Decoster None
27 October 1993 C92/91 Taillandier None
27 October 1993 CI 27/92 Enderby v. Frenchay Health Authority None1
10 November 1993 C48/91 Kingdom of the Netherlands v. Commission of the European Communities None
10 November 1993 C60/92 Otto v. Postbank None
17 November 1993 C2/91 Meng None
17 November 1993 C185/91 Reiff None
17 November 1993 C245/91 Ohra None
29 November 1993 C132/92 Birds Eye Walls Ltd. v. Friedal M. Roberts None
30 November 1993 C317/91 Renault v. Audi None
14 December 1993 C110/91 M. Moroni v. Firma Collo GMBH None
15 December 1993 C116/92 Huyton and others None
15 December 1993 C63/92 and C33/93 Lubbock Fine and Co. v. Commissioners of Customs and Excise/Empire Stores v. Commissioners of Customs and Excise. (Date of judgment 2 June 1994) Costs directly attributable to these two cases are estimated at between £500,000 and £1 million. In both cases, as a result of ECJ judgments, there will have been a marginal reuction in the overall estimated future revenue yield.
16 December 1993 C275/92 Schindler None
22 December 1993 C152/91 David Neath v. Hugh Steeper Ltd. None
19 January 1994 C364/92 Eurocontrol None
25 January 1994 C212/91 Angelopharm GmbH v. Freie und Hanses Tadt Hamburg None
27 January 1994 C287/92 Alison Mainland Toosey v. Chief Adjudication Officer None
23 February 1994 C236/92 Comitato di coordinamento per la Difesa della Cava and others v. Regione Lombardia and OthersNone
24 February 1994 C368/92 Administration des Duanes v. Solange Chiffre None
24 March 1994 T3/93 Air France v. Commission None
24 March 1994 C80/92 Commission v. Belgium None
13 April 1994 C128/92 H. J. Banks and Co. v. British Coal Corporation None
24 April 1994 C2/92 The Queen v. the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, ex parte Dennis Clifford Bostock None
24 April 1994 C40/92 Commission v. United Kingdom (supervision of Milk Marketing Boards) None
5 May 1994 C21/92 Marlies and Heinz Bernd Kamp v. Hauptzollamt Wuppertal None
5 May 1994 C421/92 Habermann Beltermann v. Arbeiterwohlfahrt Bezirksuerband None
Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights, if he will list those European Court decisions relating to responsibilities of his Department over the past two years; and if he will further indicate the estimated annual cost to public funds of each decision. [41207]

Mr. David Davis

[holding answer 2 November 1995]: The table contains a list of the judgments in cases before the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights in which UK Departments have participated since 16 October 1993. The UK has also gained from ECJ decisions, or the threat of court action in cases involving other member states, such as the penalties incurred by the Italian and Spanish Governments for breaching the EC milk quota regulations.

Judgements in cases before the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights in which United Kingdom Departments have participated since 16 October 1993
European Court of Justice
Date of ECJ Judgement Reference Case description Cost to UK Public Funds (excluding the cost of Government counsel)
5 May 1994 C38/93 H. J. Glawe Spiel und Unterhaltungsgerate Aufstellungsgesellschaft mbH and Co. KG v. Finanzamt Hamburg-Barmbeck-Uhlenhorst None
19 May 1994 T2/93 Air France v. Commission None
2 June 1994 C313/92 Van Swieten None
2 June 1994 C401 & 402/92 Criminal proceedings against tankstation't heukske vof and j.b.E Boermans None
2 June 1994 C69 & 258/93 Punta Casa None
2 June 1994 C356/93 Techmada Internationale Medizinisch-Technische Marketing und Handels GMBH and Co. KG V. Oberfinanzdirektion Koeln None
9 June 1994 C153/93 Delta Schiffahrts None
22 June 1994 C9/93 Ideal Standard None
3 July 1994 C432/92 The Queen v. the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, ex parte S.P. Anastasio (Pissouri) Ltd. and others £179,000
7 July 1994 C420/92 Elizabeth Bramhill v. Chief Adjourdication Officer None
14 July 1994 C91/92 Dori v. Recreb None
14 July 1994 C32/93 Webb v. Emo Air Cargo None1
9 August 1994 C43/93 Raymond Vander Elst v. Office des Migrations Internationals None at present
9 August 1994 C396/92 Bund Naturschutz in bayern e V Richard Stahnsdorf and Others v. Freistaat Bayern None
15 September 1994 C293/93 Houtwipper None
28 September 1994 C128/93 Madame G.C. Fisscher v. 1 Voorhuis Hengelo BV and 2. Stichting Bedrijfspensioenfonds Eventual capital cost of up to £15 million. Figure represents estimated maximum likely capital costs of judgements for public service pension schemes
28 September 1994 C28/93 Van den Akker v. Shell None
28 September 1994 C57/93 Mme A. A. Vroeg v. 1 NCIV Institut voor Volkshuisvesting BV and 2. Pensioenfonds NCIV Included in C128/93 (Fisscher)
28 September 1994 C200/91 Coloroll Pension Scheme Trustees Ltd. v. Russell and others None
28 September 1994 C408/92 Constance Christina Ellen Smith and others v. Avdel Systems Ltd. None
28 September 1994 C7/93 Bestuur van het Alegmeen Burgerlijk Pensioenfonds Pensions v. G.A. Beune None
5 October 94 C280/93 Federal Republic of Germany v. Council of the European Union None
5 October 94 C96/94 Centro Servizi Spediporto None
5 October 94 C165/91 S.J.M van Munster v. Rijksdienst Voor Pensioenen None
15 November 1994 Opinion 1/94 World Trade Organisation None
6 December 1994 C410/92 Elsie Rita Johnson v. Chief Adjudication Officer None
15 December 1994 C399/92 Helmig v. Stadt Lengerich None
15 December 1994 C409/92 Schmidt v. Deutsche angestellten-krankenkasse None
15 December 1994 C425/92 Herzog v. Arbeiter-samariter-bund landverband hamburg None
15 December 1994 C34/93 Lange v. bundesknappschaft bochum None
15 December 1994 C50/93 Kussfeld v. Firma detlef bogdol gmbh None
15 December 1994 C78/93 Ludvig v. Kreis Segeberg None
14 February 1995 C279/93 Finanzamt Koln-Altstadt v. Roland Schumackers None
16 February 1995 C425/93 Firma Calle Grenzshop Andresen GmbH and Co. KG v. Allegmeine Ortskranken-kasse fur den Kreis Schleswig-FlensburgNone
23 February 1995 C358/93 and 416/93 (Joined Cases) Criminal proceedings against Aldo Bordessa, Vicente Mari Mellado and Concepcion Barbero Maestre v. Audiencia Nacional Spain None
24 March 1995 Opinion 2/92 OECD National Treatment Instrument None
Judgements in cases before the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights in which United Kingdom Departments have participated since 16 October 1993
European Court of Justice
Date of ECJ Judgement Reference Case description Cost to UK Public Funds (excluding the cost of Government counsel)
28 March 1995 C324/93 R v. Secretary of State for the Home Department ex parte Evans Medical Ltd., intervener: Generics (UK) Ltd. None at present
30 March 1995 C65/93 European Parliament v. Council of the European Union None
5 April 1995 C103/94 Zoulika Krid v. Caisse National D'Assurance Vieillesse des travailleurs Salaries None
6 April 1995 C4/94 BLP Group plc v. Commissioners of Customs and Excise None
10 May 1995 C384/93 Alpine Investments None
31 May 1995 C400/93 Specialarbejderforbundet 1 Danmark v. Industri None
9 June 1995 C394/92 Michielsen None
13 July 1995 C116/94 Jennifer Meyers v. Adjudication Officer Not yet known. Case referred back to Social Security Commissioner. Costs will depend on his decision
11 August 1995 C92/94 1. Secretary of State for Social Security 2. Chief Adjudication Officer v. Mrs. Rose Graham and others None
5 October 1995 C440/93 Regina v. Licensing Authority of the Department of Health and Norgine. Ex parte: Scotia Pharmaceuticals Ltd. None
12 October 1995 C85/94 V.Z.W.P.IA.G.E.M.E and others v. B.V.B.A. Peeters None
19 October 1995 C137/94 Richardson £44 million per annum, plus a cost of £11 million for respective claims going back 3 months.
1 For these cases the annual costs to public funds will depend on how many public sector employeer now succeed in sex discrimination or equal pay claims which would, before the decision of the court, have failed. Government lawyers estimate that any such costs should be very low.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by the Attorney General on 30 October, Official Report, column 12–14. This answer included nine cases concerning the 1968 Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments in which the UK chose to submit written observations. In none of these cases was the UK a party and there was therefore no question of paying legal costs to another party, or compensation.

European Court of Human Rights
Date of ECHR judgment Case description Cost to UK public Funds (excluding Government counsel)£
26 October 1993 Darnell 8,207.40
23 February 1994 Stanford None
18 July 1994 Wynne 55.23
21 September 1994 Al Fayed None
28 October 1994 Murray None
28 October 1994 Boner and Maxwell 14,373
9 February 1995 Welsh 15,010.33
24 February 1995 McMichael 8,000
5 May 1995 Air Canada None
13 July 1995 Tolstoy 91,516.94
27 September 1995 McCann To be determined

I do not yet have complete information on the following ECJ cases:

Case number Case reference
C109/92 Max Wirth
C392/92 Schmidt
C382/92 Commission v. United Kingdom
C383/92 Commission v. United Kingdom
C28/92 Maria Belleke
Case number Case reference
C458/93 Saddilk
C434/93 Bozkurt

Ministers in the Departments responsible for these cases will write to the hon. Gentleman shortly.

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