§ Lord Cocks of Hartcliffeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any Members of the European Parliament visited the United States of America to observe the Presidential election with funds provided from the EC Budget; and if so, whether they were accompanied by spouses and/or staff at the expense of the EC Budget.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)There is no readily available record of travel undertaken by Members of the European Parliament.
An allowance of 3000 ecu (£2,142) per year is available to Members of the European Parliament to refund the cost of journeys made in the performance of their parliamentary duties, other than to attend official European Parliament meetings. To claim the allowance, they must make a declaration that the journey was made in pursuit of their duties and provide supporting documentation in the form of an invitation or programme of the visit. The European Parliament's guidelines require Members to produce tickets before costs are refunded.