Clause 22 - Financial provisions
European Parliament (Representation) Bill
10:00 am
Ms Yvette Cooper (Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department; Pontefract and Castleford, Labour)
The orders under the Bill and the regulations relating to European parliamentary elections will need to set out how these matters should be dealt with as a consequence of Gibraltarians being included in the European parliamentary elections. I am sympathetic to considering what legislation could be passed in Gibraltar. As I have made clear earlier, we are keen for as many of the legislative provisions as possible to be dealt with in Gibraltar by the House of Assembly. However, we need to be sure that the money can be spent. That may mean that it is appropriate for money to be paid into the Consolidated Fund of Gibraltar and then spent on the local returning officer. That is why the Bill allows for money to be paid and expenditure to be met by a Minister of the Crown, and for a sum to be paid into the Consolidated Fund or the Consolidated Fund for Gibraltar, but also for sums to be paid out of the Consolidated Fund for Gibraltar. The wording in the Bill provides the flexibility to put the arrangements into practice.
I am happy for as much as possible to be done locally. Clearly, we need to discuss further with the Government of Gibraltar how that can be done. The Bill provides for limited powers in connection with the European parliamentary elections. It will not apply to anything else. We are talking only about the expenses of returning officers and registration officers. The provisions are limited in scope, but they are drafted in such a way as to ensure that, in practice, the money gets to the right place.