Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Glad that has been sorted

On the subject of government department flying various flags, Charlie Elphicke asked
the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to Lord Stoddart of Swindon of 26 July 2010, House of Lords, Official Report, column 272WA, on EU: flag, what steps his Department has taken to inform the European Commission that it has complied with Article 7(2) of EC Regulation 1828/2006 by flying the EU flag since 2007.
They ask individual Ministers and Secretaries of State rather than HMG in the Lower House.

The answer was:
As a consequence of Article 7(2) EC Regulation 1828/2006, my Department is obliged to fly the flag of the European Union in front of its premises for one week every year, after Europe Day. There is no formal requirement to inform the European Commission, but I am informed that visible failure to comply would result in the European Commission imposing fines (described as 'financial corrections').

Ministers consider that European regulations should focus on ensuring that European funds are used to best promote the economic development of the EU. I wish to reassure hon. Members that the United Kingdom's Union flag always flies in superior position outside our Department on its primary flagpole.
And a lot of other stuff about various flags that fly above the Minister's particular Department.

Why the second paragraph had to be included is a mystery. How on earth can "European regulations should focus on ensuring that European funds are used to best promote the economic development of the EU", even if we disregard that egregious split infinitive, which Sir Humphrey ought not to have passed?

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