411A, just for info, we at Maastricht often ask aircraft to report heading and/or mach number to the next sector. And I've heard it when flying over France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries to name but a few. It's certainly not exclusive to LATCC. IT's actually quite a common ATC procedure. Furthermore, we do inform the next sector/unit if you're locked onto a heading or given a speed restriction. The idea of you stating the fact on initial contact with the next sector is to effectively confirm that you are adhering to these instructions.