§ Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the estimated cost of the European Parliament in 1996; and what were the figures in each of the last five years. [20988]
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryI have been asked to reply.
The information is provided in the table.
Cost of the European Parliament Ecu £ 1991 465,800,000 326,099,130 1992 528,100,000 387,738,610 1993 660,300,000 514,052,160 1994 646,300,000 500,077,370 1995 843,321,000 690,624,020 1996 802,739,800 680,115,050 1. The figures for 1991–94 are outturn figures and have been taken from the relevant Court of Auditors report. The figures for 1995 and 1996 are taken from the adopted European Community Budgets for those years.
2. The figures for 1991–95 have been converted from ecu to sterling using the annual average exchange rate1. For 1996 the conversion rate used is that prevailing on the last working day of the last month of the previous year—29 December 1995—of £1=1.1803 ecu.
11991 £l=1.4284 ecu. 1992 £1=1.3620 ecu. 1993 £1=1.2845 ecu. 1994 £1=1.2924 ecu. 1995 £1=1.2211 ecu.