Mr. Jacksonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a statement about the Budget Council on 22 May.
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§ Mr. Ian StewartI represented the United Kingdom at this Council in Brussels.
The Council reaffirmed that the maximum rate provisions for non-obligatory expenditure commitments and payments should be respected, and that the inter-Governmental agreement for additional payment of 1982 mecu should not be reopened.
The Council met a delegation from the European Parliament led by its President, M. Pflimlin, to exchange views on its proposed amendments and modifications to the 1985 draft budget.
The Council accepted all of the Parliament's amendments which it had earlier agreed at the Second Reading of the rejected draft 1985 budget in November 1984. It increased provision for Community food aid payments by 89 mecu. A further 50 mecu was added to the commitment appropriations for integrated Mediterranean programmes proposed at the Council on 23 April; the 50 mecu were offset by reductions in other commitment appropriations. Finally, supplementary revenue of 232 mecu was incorporated into the budget; 36 mecu of this was matched by food aid expenditure, and the balance by including in the budget part of the outstanding deficit arising from 1984.