HC Deb 18 November 1998 vol 319 cc654-5W
Sir Sydney Chapman

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the total sum outstanding to British companies as a result of late payment of invoices by the EU under the TACIS programme for work undertaken in the CIS. [56855]

Mrs. Roche

[holding answer 28 October 1998]: The European Commission does not keep a record of outstanding payments but the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington (Ms Quin), raised the issue with the Commission in Brussels on 16 November, following up earlier action by senior officials at the Department for International Development.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he is taking with regard to the late payment to British companies by the EU under the TACIS programme for work undertaken in the CIS. [60388]

Mrs. Roche

I am concerned about the late payment to British companies by the European Commission under the Tacis programme. The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Ms Quin), raised the issue with the Commission in Brussels on 16 November, following up earlier action by senior officials at the Department for International Development.