§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is meant by the word "national" in the last sentence of paragraph 11 of the Joint Communiqué following the special European Union Programmes Sector meeting of 9 October of the North-South Ministerial Council, set up after the Belfast agreement of 1998 in Ballycastle; and why would "national" be referred to in the context of European Union grants supplied to the cross-Border areas. [HL6287]
§ Lord Williams of Mostyn:The word "national" in the last sentence of paragraph 11 of the Joint Communiqué, which was issued following the 9 October meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council in Special EU Programmes Sector, refers to the public expenditure and accountability responsibilities of each of the two member states involved in the delivery of this programme. Accountability for expenditure under European Union programmes administered by the Special EU Programmes Body is subject to the requirements of European regulations and to the separate requirements of the Irish public expenditure system and the UK public expenditure system. This is why the word "national" was used in this context.