To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the names, titles and grades of the officials who sit on the committee for the European Refugee Fund, the number of times and the dates on which it has met since January 2002, the agenda items it has considered since January 2002, the decisions it has made since January 2002 and the means used to communicate these decisions to the House. [110498]
Officials from the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate represent the United Kingdom. The precise composition of the delegation will vary according to the topics under discussion. Representation from other Member States is a matter for those Governments.Since January 2002 the Committee has met four times. The dates of these meetings were 6 February 2002, 27 May 2002, 13 February 2003 and 22 May 2003. It has consulted once by way of written procedure in December 2002.The agenda items that have been discussed are as follows:
6 February 2002
Opinion on draft revised decisions on co-financing of Member States national programmes for 2002, further to the increase in the budget of the European Refugee Fund (ERF) allocated by the Budgetary Authority;
Evaluation of Programmes;
Information from the Commission on decision regarding the selection of "Community Action projects" 2001 (Article 5 Council Decision);
Information on Call for Proposals published by the European Commission for "Community Action projects" 2002 (Article 5 Council Decision);
Information from the Commission on monitoring of national programmes; and
Presentation of its activities by the Council of Europe Development Bank.
27 May 2002
Information from the Commission on implementation of Commission Decision 2002/307/EC of 18 December 2001, laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Decision 2000/596/EC as regards management and control systems and procedures for making financial corrections in the context of actions co-financed by the ERF.
10 December 2002 (Written procedure)
Opinion on draft decisions on co-financing of Member States national programmes for 2003; and
Information from the Commission on revised provisional allocations by Member States for 2003, based on forecast increased budget (subject to the final adoption by the Budgetary Authority).
13 February 2003
Opinion on draft revised decisions on co-financing of Member States national programmes for 2003, further to the increase in the budget of the ERF allocated by the Budgetary Authority;
Information from the Commission—preparation of final reports and financial statements for programme years 2000 and 2001;
Information from the Commission—presentation of independent evaluation by of 1998 and 1999 projects for asylum-seekers, displaced persons and refugees; and
Information from the Commission—independent ERF midterm evaluation.
Cases outstanding as of 31 May 2003 and year of receipt
| |||||||||
Requests from EU 1
| 1995
| 1996
| 1997
| 1998
| 1999
| 2000
| 2001
| 2002
| 2003
|
| Belgium | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 |
| France | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Germany | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
| Italy | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 3 |
| Luxembourg | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Netherlands | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Denmark | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Greece | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Portugal | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Spain | — | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Austria | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Finland | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sweden | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
1 Figures do not include requests from Ireland which are not collected centrally. | |||||||||
Cases outstanding as of 31 May 2003 and year of receipt
| |||||
Requests from EV Accession states
| 1999
| 2000
| 2001
| 2002
| 2003
|
| Estonia | — | — | — | — | — |
| Latvia | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Lithuania | — | — | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Poland | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — |
| Hungary | — | — | — | — | — |
| Czech Republic | — | — | 4 | 9 | 3 |
| Slovakia | — | — | — | 3 | — |
| Slovenia | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Cyprus | — | — | — | — | — |
| Malta | — | — | — | — | — |