On 2 November 1981, an internal note from the Western European Department of the British Foreign Office emphasises that the British Government is keen to reduce the scale of activity of Western European Union (WEU). It recommends that efforts should be made to persuade the other Member States to agree to a lower frequency of controls by the Agency for the Control of Armaments (ACA), which would result in useful economies. Despite these cuts, the United Kingdom should continue to give full political support to WEU, including its commitment to maintain forces on the European continent. The note draws attention to the need to convince France and Italy, who have blocked the necessary consensus and do not support the British proposal to reduce the cost of the ministerial organs of WEU by some 15% over the next few years.