ONE SEAT CAMPAIGN

Early day motion 2393, tabled 19 June 2006 by Lord Brady of Altrincham (Conservative). Signed by 95 members.

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.

Signatures by party: Conservative 53, Labour 24, Liberal Democrat 13, DUP 3, Plaid Cymru 2.