§ Mr. Maloneasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement about an advance of own resources payments to the European Community in November.
§ Mr. Ian StewartI informed the House on 12 November, at columns 89–90, of the Government's intention to comply with the Commission's invitation under article 10(2) of Council regulation 2891/77, to member states to advance from 20 December to 20 November payments of own resources other than VAT levies and customs duties collected by the Government on their behalf in October. The latest estimates of these own resources collected in October is now £165 million, an increase of £35 million over the estimate announced on 12 November. Pending parliamentary approval of Supplementary Estimates, payment of the £165 million will be made by a repayable advance from the Contingencies Fund.
The payment of levies and duties on 20 December 1984, which is made direct from the Consolidated Fund under section 2(3) of the European Communities Act 1972, will be reduced by the amount of the advance. There will, therefore, be no net addition to public expenditure.