European Community (Developments)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 6:05 pm on 11 June 1990.

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Photo of Mr Hugh Dykes Mr Hugh Dykes , Harrow East 6:05, 11 June 1990

At any rate, he told some or most foreigners to get stuffed. I appreciate that my hon. Friend does not have direct responsibility for that letter, or indeed for The Daily Telegraph—mercifully, from his point of view—but it would have been interesting to hear his answer. Perhaps I could invite one of my hon. Friends to ask him this question latter in the debate.

I am glad that my hon. Friend the Minister, by a nod of the head, has agreed to deal with fraud later in the debate. It is an ideal subject about which to register our legitimate concern that, as soon as possible, through national authorities and their relevant agencies, the police, the Commission agencies and the Court of Auditors, work will he done in concert, powerfully and successfully, to overcome the problem. This is another perfect example of how otiose and old-fashioned is the mystical House of Commons tendency—as shown, for example, by the right hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Stepney (Mr. Shore), although not on this subject—to think that there is something sinister about what other countries are doing, and that we have a monopoly on virtue. The report by the Court of Auditors is crystal clear: all member states are equally at fault in being unable to deal with fraud. We remember the lovely old story of the Italian olive trees; we do not have such trees here, and I gather that the problem of that abuse has decreased, if not been overcome.

Now there are other aspects of fraud. For instance, there is the continuing disgrace of inadequate controls over cold storage contents. I have the greatest sympathy for the small number of hapless, underpaid officials who have to deal with these nightmare matters. They are confronted by sophisticated operators in all member states. The Court of Auditor's report emphasised that the court found difficulty in obtaining the relevant information, and if such control is to be successful, it is crucial that information from member states be forthcoming. The report said that it was not forthcoming from three states, and one of them, terrible to say, was the United Kingdom.

My hon. Friend the Minister must, as a Foreign Office Minister, cover every aspect of these matters; I shall read his comments in Hansard with care, because I should like to know whether the Court of Auditors and the Commission are still having difficulty in obtaining the necessary facts and figures from the Reading intervention agency and other elements of the control and dit system in the United Kingdom.