§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Prime Minister if he will list the steps taken to work with the European Commission in countering fraud at EU level; and if he will publish the memoranda submitted by Her Majesty's Government to the President of the European Commission. [76199]
§ The Prime Minister[holding answer 12 March 1999]: The Government believe that there must be a policy of zero tolerance to fraud and have consistently supported the European Commission in initiatives to fight fraud against the EC budget.
At the January ECOFIN Council, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor called for a strong, independent head of fraud investigations, reporting to an independent management board. These ideas are being used in discussions currently taking place on how to strengthen internal fraud investigations. Following this, the Government offered practical assistance to the Commission, specifically offering to share UK experience of best practice on codes of conduct for behaviour in public life. I am pleased to say that this offer was welcomed and officials have been in contact to take this forward. It is among the issues that will be covered in joint training with Commission officials and officials from other Member States starting in September of this year.
441WThe Government have not submitted a memorandum to the European Commission regarding countering fraud at EU level.