Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Thursday, 12 July 2007.

EU: Parliament

Question: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply, but what he did not say was whether the Government supported the consolidation of the sites in Brussels. After the Government took so long over the negotiations on the budget, here we have a monthly migration farce that costs European taxpayers some £140 million per annum. Do the Government therefore support the consolidation of the sites, however difficult that objective is, and what will they do to pursue the saving for European taxpayers that it would bring about?

Answer: My Lords, as I have indicated, the Government do not think that the present splitting of the European Parliament is ideal, but they concentrate on more constructive aspects of the evolution of the European Community on which we can hope to make progress, against a background where a unanimous vote on the issue that the noble Lord raised seems distant.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 693 c1501-2
Session: 2006-07
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Cost effectiveness European Parliament Location Brussels Strasbourg
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk