1972

TREATY OF ROME

MAJOR EU ISSUES BULLETIN
2         2008

 TREATY OF LISBON       

     

£4.4BILLION HAS GONE MISSING

EU ACCOUNTING HABITS HAVE COME TO ENGLAND.

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eurofacts-www.junepress.com

 5th September, 2008

-NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE UNABLE TO CONFIRM USE OF EU FUNDS IN THE UK.

Thirty-five years after the UK joined the EU, HM Treasury has got round to publishing its very first "Consolidated Statement on the use of EU funds in the UK".

This purports to show, for the year ended 31st March, 2007, the financial situation in the classic three-part format of Expenditure Account, Balance Sheet and Cash-Flow Statement. However, UK contributions to the EU are not covered by this statement.

The statement is audited by T.J.Burr, Comptroller & Auditor General of the National Audit Office. His audit opinion is "qualified" [Doesn't believe the figures] -in other words, he is unable to certify the accounts. His report says:

"...I have been unable to confirm that the debtor, creditor and cash balances within the balance sheet have been compiled on a consistent basis and are materially complete. As a consequence I have also been unable to confirm that the expenditure statement, the cash-flow statement and levels of UK funding set out in the balance sheet show a true and fair view"

[As all the main parties in PARLIAMENT are EUROPHOBES it is most unlikely that this will be a subject for DEBATE and will as in the past be conveniently suppressed by the so-called FREE PRESS. We will have to see if the  waste of taxpayer's money has been filched for using in EU friendly propaganda or whatever.]

In the year to 31st March 2007 the statement puts the "gross expenditure (in the UK) on EU supported projects" at

£4,900,000,000

[As the Uk is one of the few positive contributors to the EU BUDGET-this is merely a matter of getting back what we have already paid]

A comparison with the figures in the Pink Book 2007 (published by an AGENCY of HM TREASURY, the OFFICE for NATIONAL STATISTICS)puts the amount paid by "EU INSTITUTIONS" in the UK in calendar year 2006 at almost double the Treasury figure,

 £9,300,000,000

On the face of it

£4,400,000,000

HAS GONE MISSING

Admittedly, the definitions are different, but one would have expected the Treasury and ONS figures to be AT LEAST of the SAME ORDER OF MAGNITUDE.

The Treasury statement reports that of the £4.9billion spent in the UK, £228 million is "disallowed" -clawed-back by the EU Commission.  In the balance sheet,£379 million is reported as cumulated "disallowance provision".

The Comptroller & Auditor General (how very Gilbert & Sullivan! ) notes that

"Only the EU Commission is able to determine whether any breeches have occured and therefore whether any financial corredtion is due. Any such shortfall in funding for UK expenditure is [wait for it!] made good by the UK taxpayer". AS USUAL.

Presumably, NO-ONE  in HM Treasury has been FIRED-DISCIPLINED or even gently REPRIMANDED as a RESULT of what appears the SLOPPY HANDLING of TAXPAYER'S 'MONEY.

www.hm-treasury.gov.uk-"Consolidated Statement on the use of EU funds in the UK", published 17th July 2008.

[A reminder that the EU ACCOUNTS have not been passed for over 14 years]

[Each underlined word has a separate bulletin]

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OCTOBER -2008