§ LORD CLIFFORD OF CHUDLEIGHasked Her Majesty's Government:
On the basis of their Answers of November 18, 1970, January 18, 1972, and December 21, 1972:
(1) What increases in the gross amounts mentioned in the answers to those questions the United Kingdom 800WA Treasury has made in the last year in Northern Ireland;
(2) What further increases are proposed.
§ LORD JACQUESExtensive changes have been made in the financial arrangements for Northern Ireland with the coming into force of all parts of the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 on January 1, 1974. Law, order and protective services (costing £20 million in the last quarter of 1973–74) and transferred taxes formerly the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Government are now the responsibility of the U.K. Government. The special payments £84 million in 1972–73) in respect of Health Services, Social Services and Regional Employment Premium have ceased: the amounts paid in 1973–74 up to December 31, 1973, totalled £52 million.
As regards the items not affected by these changes, the estimates for 1973–74 are: Agricultural Support and the Remoteness Grant, £30 million and £2 million; payment to the National Insurance Fund of Northern Ireland, £30 million; borrowing from the National Loans Fund, £66 million.
The provision under the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 for grants-in-aid to Northern Ireland has replaced the similar provision in the Northern Ireland (Financial Provisions) Act 1972. In 1973–74 the grants under these two Acts totalled £175 million.
It is estimated that Northern Ireland's share of tax revenues for 1973–74 will total some £320 million.
House adjourned at sixteen minutes before seven o'clock.