§ Mr. HawkinsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, (1) pursuant to his answer of 29 June 1999,Official Report, columns 132–34, what were the amounts involved in each of the budget lines (a) blocked initially, (b) now unblocked and (c) still frozen; and what are the implications for the UK Government's budget and financial planning of the European Court of Justice ruling of 12 May 1998; [92729]
(2) what legal implications for the UK arise from the European Court of Justice's judgment of 12 May 1998; and, pursuant to his answer of 29 June 1999, Official Report, columns 132–34, what were the legal bases found for each of the budget lines unblocked. [92730]
§ Ms Hewitt[holding answer 23 July 1999]: The budget lines initially suspended by the Commission following the European Court of Justice ruling of 12 May 1998 were listed in my previous answer of 29 June 1999, Official Report, columns 132–34. The amounts contained on each of these lines in the 1998 adopted budget can be found in the Official Journal of the European Communities, L44, Volume 41, published on 16 February 1998, which is available in the Library of the House.
The guidelines clarifying the funding of measures through the EU budget are set out in the Inter Institutional Agreement on legal bases and implementation of the budget, on which an explanatory memorandum (10893/98) was submitted in October 1998.
The Government welcomed the European Court of Justice ruling of 12 May 1998, which supports budget discipline. The ruling related specifically to expenditure by the Commission in the EU budget, and has no other legal implications for the UK.