'In a report, MEPs raised questions about the assembly budget, including concerns about a £72,000 fund for parliament staff which was used to pay for a trip to the Italian Alps for the children of MEPs and officials.

It also attacked the annual £8 million budget for EuroparlTV, Parliament's own dedicated online TV channel. It broadcasts live Parliamentary events, including plenary and committee meetings but has been condemned by some MEPs as "glorified propaganda."

UK Independence Party MEP Marta Andreasen branded the channel as a "joke." She said: "It is farcical that British taxpayers are expected to foot the bill for other to watch hours and hours of interminable debates that amounts to no more than propaganda".'

Read more: EU Money Spent on Skiing Trips and 'TV Propaganda'