Graham Brady

Conservative Party | Altrincham and Sale West

MP INTRODUCES COMMONS MOTION TO SCRAP STRASBOURG PARLIAMENT

Altrincham and Sale West MP Graham Brady, who is also Shadow Europe Minister has introduced a Bill into the Commons aimed at ending the present arrangement which means that the European Parliament moves from Brussels to sit in Strasbourg for four days each month. The cost to taxpayers of moving MEPs their staff and paperwork between Brussels and Strasbourg has been estimated as at least £120 million every year.

The Motion has attracted immediate cross-party support; Local Conservatives Anne Winterton MP (Congleton), Nicholas Winterton MP (Macclesfield) and North West Labour MPs Graham Stringer (Manchester Blackley) and David Crausby (Bolton North East) are among the signatories.

EDM 2393
ONE SEAT CAMPAIGN
19.06.2006
Brady, Graham
That this House notes that the European Parliament is based primarily in Brussels and that MEPs, their staff and paperwork are all based there; further notes that in accordance with the Amsterdam Treaty, for four days every month the entire operation is uprooted and moved 260 miles away to Strasbourg; regrets that this process involves charter planes carrying MEPs, officials and staff and also fleets of lorries carrying paperwork between Belgium and France; further notes the One Seat campaign which aims to collect one million signatures to its online petition in favour of establishing Brussels as the single seat of the European Parliament; and believes that it is time to end the wasteful and inefficient practice of maintaining two locations for the European Parliament which currently costs taxpayers £120 million every year.

Graham Brady said:

‘The present system of MEPs sitting in Brussels for most of the time and then decamping to Strasbourg for four days each month is frankly ludicrous. There is a huge amount of time and effort being wasted in moving MEPs, their staff and paperwork between two countries. I find it remarkable that taxpayers are expected to continue to finance this travelling circus to the tune of £120million every year. I hope that my motion will provoke Ministers to take action to end this farcical waste of money and I would urge anyone who agrees to sign the petition at www.oneseat.eu which is aiming to attract 1 million signatures from all across Europe and is well on the way to doing so.’