§ Mr. Spearingasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in the light of the renegotiations with the EEC, he will list in the Official Report the taxes or levies which will accrue to the EEC as an "enforceable community right"; together with the latest estimate of those sums under each main heading in each of the years 1974 to 1978.
§ Mr. Joel Barnett:The Heads of Government reached agreement at the European Council in Dublin on 11th March on a budget correcting mechanism by which a member State can secure a repayment if its contribution to the Community budget moves out of line with its share of Community GNP. This will take the form of a reimbursement paid from the expenditure side of the budget. The budget itself will continue to be financed 324W in accordance with the arrangements in the Council Decision of 21st April 1970 i.e. from customs duties, agricultural levies and, pending agreement on a uniform VAT assessment basis, by contributions based on member States' shares of Community GNP. On the last part of my hon. Friend's Question I would refer him to my reply of 4th March—[Vol. 887, c. 396–7]—which set out the forecasts of the United Kingdom's payments to the Community budget published in the White Paper "Public Expenditure to 1978–79" (Cmnd. 5879).