A report on the misuse of expenses by MEPs is likely to be kept secret by the European Parliament despite growing calls for it to be made public.

The internal audit exposes money-making scams without naming individuals and shows “embezzlement and fraud on a massive scale”, according to the MEP who revealed its existence.

But parliament insiders said that today’s meeting of the budget control committee would not result in publication because senior figures were afraid of setting a precedent on publishing confidential auditors’ documents.

The row will be an embarrassment for Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the parliament, who begins a two-day official visit to Britain today with a meeting with the Queen.

Chris Davies, the Liberal Democrat who revealed the existence of the internal audit, said: “I don’t think it will be made public because the poachers are in charge of the game park. MEPs might introduce reforms after the next elections when half of them have changed because it is just too embarrassing for them now.”

The report can be viewed by the budget control committee only on condition that it goes into a sealed room, does not take notes and does not reveal its contents.

Neither of the two biggest groups in the European Parliament — the Socialist group that includes Labour MEPs and the EPP that includes the Conservatives — would declare an official position on publication last night. The Lib Dems and the UK Independence Party will both call today for it to be released.

But Chris Heaton-Harris, a Conservative MEP on the committee, said: “It would be much easier if this discussion was had on the basis of the facts rather than on hearsay. They are worried about parliament’s reputation being damaged but it has already been damaged.”

A parliament insider told The Times: “The report by the internal auditor is confidential and I am expecting the confidentiality to stay. I expect some MEPs to call for publication but this is up to the Secretary-General of the Parliament [Harald Romer, the most senior administrative official of the parliament] and the Bureau [the president Mr Pottering and 14 vice-presidents, all senior MEPs]. There are a lot of procedures that cannot be circumvented. In the case of the internal auditor it is standard procedure and publication would set a precedent.”

— A poll of all 78 British MEPs last Wednesday asking them to declare whether they pay family members out of their EU allowances found that 19 of 54 respondents do so. Of the 24 MEPs who failed to respond, 14 were Conservatives.

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