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Future EU Finances and Own Resources

I am most grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s intervention, because I have enormous respect for the way in which he campaigns on third world poverty, and I agree that the issue must be resolved. I do not believe that we could have resolved it during our presidency. It takes longer than six months to resolve such fundamental issues, but we need to ensure as we continue to campaign on European issues that we put matters right, because it is inappropriate in this day and age to spend so much basically propping up French agriculture at the expense of farmers not just over the rest of the EU, but in the third world. The hon. Member for The Wrekin (Mark Pritchard) mentioned the new document published on 5 May. It does not have to be reprinted, because it does not contain a photograph of the last Minister for Europe, although I made sure, when I was Minister for Europe, that my photograph was included in the documents.I think that it contains a photograph of the hon. Member for Stone (Mr. Cash) on page 30—at least, the back of his head—and he appears to be entering some kind of starship on the way to another planet, although I do not want to be nasty to him, because he will celebrate his birthday, I think, on Wednesday,while the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) will, incidentally, celebrate his on Tuesday. Todayis Schuman day, when members of the European Commission can have the day off—it is a public holiday. I am not suggesting that we should have a public holiday for the birthday of the hon. Member for Stone, but I am making a serious point. The document is important, because it is absolutely vital that we explain to the British public what happens not only to the money that the Government spend, but to the money that the EU spends.