§ Lord O'HAGANasked Her Majesty's Government:
How much the United Kingdom has received from the EEC in grants and loans: and what binding safeguards they have secured that such grants and loans would not become immediately repayable if the United Kingdom withdrew from the EEC.
§ Lord JACQUESSince joining the European Communities the United Kingdom has received a total of about £232 million from the Communities' Budget. Of this about £175 million was received by the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce under the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) for market regulation under the common agricultural policy. A further £22 million was received from the European Social Fund. Refunds of the cost of collecting the Communities "own resources" amounted to about £32 million. In addition, there are commitments to pay the United Kingdom certain sums from the Guidance Section of EAGGF, and the United Kingdom has also been allocated further sums from the European Social Fund.
The European Investment Bank has approved loans to United Kingdom organisations totalling £112.8 million to date, most of which has now been received. In addition, the European coal and Steel Community (ECSC) has approved loans totalling £79 million to the Coal and Steel industries ; only a proportion of this has been drawn, as the money is offered to the borrower in tranches when it becomes available. By 1st November 1974 the ECSC had also made grants totalling £5 million to the United Kingdom, of which £1 million had been received.
As to the second part of the noble Lord's Question, there is nothing I can add to the reply I gave him on 27th November 1974.
House adjourned at twenty-four minutes past eight o'clock.