§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the reasons for the unpredicted rise in the British subscription to CERN.
§ Mr. Alan HowarthThe CERN budget for the forthcoming year is finalised each December by the CERN council, on which the United Kingdom is represented. Each member state's contribution is determined on an agreed formula based on relative GNP. The likely level of the United Kingdom subscription is therefore known in advance of the preparation of Supply estimates each year. The exact amount due is finalised during the year in question in the light of current United Kingdom/Swiss exchange rates and other relevant factors.
As my reply to my hon. Friend on 4 February 1991, Official Report, columns 8–9, showed, the United Kingdom's subscription to CERN has in fact been reduced since 1987–88.