European Union (Finance) Bill

Carolyn Harris Excerpts

Tuesday 23rd June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gauke]

That is a very good point. However, you would not wish me to be detained too long, Mr Streeter, by the fact that various candidates for the leadership of the Labour party appear to be recognising that too much money was spent before the crash, and that not all of it was spent in an efficient manner.

[Carolyn Harris (Swansea East) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Gauke]

I give way to the hon. Lady, who may share that view.

[Carolyn Harris]

Does the Minister believe that enough is being done to ensure the transparency of budget decisions that are made at EU level?

[Mr Gauke]

The hon. Lady has asked a good question. In the context of the review that the Commission is undertaking and the focus on a budget for results, transparency is certainly important. The Government’s record is clear: we want more transparency in relation to all expenditure, whether at UK or EU level, and I think that more can be done in that regard.

The hon. Member for Worsley made an important point about administrative expenditure. As part of the MFF deal, EU staff salaries were frozen in 2013-14, and EU institutions committed themselves to a 5% headcount reduction by 2017 and an increase in statutory pension age to 66 for officials who started work in or after 2014. I would be the first to accept that those reforms do not go far enough, but, working with like-minded member states, the Government will continue to press the EU institutions to show maximum restraint when it comes to administrative expenditure.