Letter: Britain slow to take its place in a 'multi-speed' Europe

Sir: Your 'Euro Fact' on 24 May about the European Parliament gave the cost of 'moving people and documents between Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg' as ' pounds 38m'. This ignores the much greater costs involved in triplicating buildings and their associated upkeep. It also ignores the vast amount of staff time wasted in travelling between these cities.

The study I published a year ago showed that the total unnecessary expenditure attributable to working in three places will exceed pounds 500m during the next five years. That is one reason why I have been leading the campaign for a single place of work for the European Parliament.

Although the 12 heads of government agreed in December 1992 that the Parliament's dispersal should become permanent, the European Parliament itself has declared that decision illegal. After this election, if I am returned to the Parliament, I shall seek to ensure that the Parliament concentrates all its activities in Brussels.

Yours faithfully,

PETER PRICE

MEP for London

South-East (Con)

Chislehurst, Kent