§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the mandate of the Committee for the European Refugee Fund is; how many times it has met over the last 12 months; what the UK representation on it is; what the annual cost of its work is to public funds; if he will list the items currently under its consideration; if he will take steps to increase its accountability and transparency to Parliament; and if he will make a statement. [58455]
§ Beverley HughesThe mandate for the Committee for the European Refugee Fund is set out in the Council Decision 2000/596/EC, OJL 252, 6.10.2000, that adopted the programme, and is available in the Library. The Committee meets three times a year on average.
The United Kingdom (UK) representation usually consists of a member of the UK representation to the European Union plus a Home Office official from the Refugee Integration Unit. The Commission refunds travel and subsistence costs for one official from the UK for each Committee meeting. Up to three additional representatives can attend, and their expenses are met from the Home Office subsistence allowance. The purpose of the Committee is to monitor the implementation of the European Refugee Fund across the member states.
The Council decision contains a reporting mechanism under which the Commission evaluates the implementation of the European Refugee Fund and submits a report to the Council and European Parliament. The reports are publicly available on the internet. In addition, details of projects selected for funding within the UK allocation of the fund are made available in the form of a written parliamentary answer on an annual basis.