EU Financial Management

I hear what my hon. Friend says, but I must mention again what I have said on a number of occasions. Indeed, I made a specific point in respect of the European Communities (Finance) Act 1995, when six of my colleagues lost the Whip, not over Maastricht but over European finance. I tabled an amendment to deal with the relationship between member states and the EU’s financial management. In summary, I worked things out, spoke to the Comptroller and Auditor General and came to the conclusion that it was possible for the Public Accounts Committee and the National Audit Office to have much more direct control of the money administered in the United Kingdom as a member state.