§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will confirm that the full amount of rebates provided for in the agreement of 30 May 1980 in the Council of Ministers to be paid by 31 March has now been paid; and when he anticipates that the remaining rebates for the calendar year 1980 will be paid.
§ Mr. LawsonI refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave on 25 March to my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon, South (Sir W. Clark).—[Vol. 1, c. 329–32.] I can confirm that the payment of £276.2 million referred to in that reply was received on 27 March. Further instalments are expected in the summer, when we have certified that the expenditure programmes in 1980–81 attracting support under the supplementary measures scheme proceeded according to plan, and later in the year, when the Commission has updated its estimates of our entitlement under the financial mechanism and supplementary measures.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total amount paid to the European Economic Community since the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community; what has been the total amount received in grants and subsidies; and if he will express these sums as a ratio.
§ Mr. LawsonGross payments made by the United Kingdom to the Community from 1 January 1973 to 31 December 1980 amounted to £6,720 million. Receipts from the Community in the same period amounted to £3,651 million. The difference expressed as a ratio is 1.84:1. This ratio makes no allowance, however, for the refunds in respect of the 1980 budget which we are receiving during 1981.