EU: Financial Management and Fraud (EUC Report)

My Lords, I begin by thanking the noble Lord, Lord Radice, and his committee for what I think is an excellent report. It goes without saying that I substantially agreed with the speeches of the noble Lords, Lord Inglewood, Lord Williamson and Lord Giddens. Therefore, I shall concentrate my opening remarks on the three other speeches with which I have substantial disagreement. I have to say to the noble Lords, Lord Pearson, Lord Willoughby de Broke and Lord Stoddart, that no 1 per cent of European Union gross domestic product is more analysed, more scrutinised and more verified in terms of expenditure than the 1 per cent of European Union GDP that makes up the European Union budget. If the noble Lord, Lord Pearson, were critical of the evidence, where was his? Where was UKIP’s evidence? It had a full opportunity to give to the committee all the evidence to which it complains no-one ever listens, but that evidence was not put before the committee. There were one or two feeble questions from the sidelines, particularly in defence of the person who appears to be the latest patron saint of UKIP, Marta Andreasen. I have no doubt that the noble Lord, Lord Kinnock, was absolutely correct to say that there were errors in her CV that did notfully reflect her past employment and that therewas substantial evidence of a breakdown of relationships between her and the director-general of budgets.