WRITTEN QUESTION E-2241/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission. Employees of the central banks of the Member States.
18. 7. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 203 E/155 (2000/C 203 E/198) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2237/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (1 December 1999) Subject: Language of first draft documents Please indicate the language of the first draft of Commission working documents in each of the last five years. Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (14 January 2000) The Commission is sending direct to the Honourable Member and to Parliamentís Secretariat a table containing the information requested. (2000/C 203 E/199) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2238/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (1 December 1999) Subject: Support for dyspraxia victims Please indicate the official support and help offered to the victims of dyspraxia and their families in each of the Member States. Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission (20 December 1999) The Commission is aware of the importance of this disability. However, there is no Community action programme in the area of public health at the moment, which could support the sufferers of dyspraxia and their families. Support and help to victims of dyspraxia and their families is a responsibility of the Member States. Information on support programmes of the Member States in favour of sufferers and their families is not made available to the Commission. (2000/C 203 E/200) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2241/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (1 December 1999) Subject: Employees of the central banks of the Member States Please state which authority in each case is responsible for approving the budget of each Member Stateís central bank, the number of people serving on that authority, their term of office, whether it is renewable and who appoints them. Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission (21 December 1999) The Commission considers that a proper reply to this question would require long research. This would not be justified in the light of the following statement, which is included in its convergence report 1998 (report prepared in accordance with Article 121(1) of the EC Treaty (ex Article 109j)): An NCB (national C 203 E/156 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 7. 2000 central bank) must of course, be financially accountable. However, a right to control ex ante the budget may, depending on the context, create a situation where an NCB is unable to fulfil its European System of Central Banks (ESCB)-related tasks independentlyí. (2000/C 203 E/201) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2242/99 by Christopher Huhne (ELDR) to the Commission (1 December 1999) Subject: Wage bill and employees of the EU institutions Please state the number of employees of the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council at the end of each year for the last five years, together with the total wage bill for each institution, and the average paid per employee. Answer given by Mr Kinnock on behalf of the Commission (10 December 1999) For the Commission, the figures are as follows: Number of employees 14 082 1994 1995 14 922 1996 15 573 1997 16 061 1998 16 405 Total pay bill Average cost (1) (2) in euro millions in euro 974 429 (1) 985 602 (1) 1 146 805 (1) 1 187 481 (1) 1 227 625 (1) 69 197 (2) 66 050 (2) 73 641 (2) 73 936 (2) 74 832 (2) These figures represent the number of staff, including staff posted outside the Community, covered by the establishment plan and paid on 31 December of each of the past five years. The total pay bill relates to those posts paid from the general budget (part A), and therefore does not include research, or agency staff. The Commission does not have the information sought in respect of the other institutions. (2000/C 203 E/202) WRITTEN QUESTION E-2253/99 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (1 December 1999) Subject: Italy and the European area of justice The Presidency conclusions of the European Council in Tampere state that áin a genuine European area of justice individuals and businesses should not be prevented or discouraged from exercising their rights by the incompatibility or complexity of legal and administrative systems in the Member Statesí. In order to achieve this objective an information campaign is proposed, together with the publication of appropriate áuser guidesí on judicial cooperation within the Union and on the legal systems of the Member States. Will the information provided include details of the serious cases of injustice which have occurred in Italy? The sense of insecurity spreading through the country, together with the growing feeling that offenders are going unpunished, is borne out by statements made by judges that áthe code of criminal procedure is inadequateí and that áthe Italian legal system is bankrupt and on the verge of paralysisí. These words of warning are backed up the alarming fact that in 1998 alone the statute of limitations was exceeded in 130 000 cases, a trend that seems to be on the increase