§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what changes he will be making to the cash limit on the vote of the budget of the European Communities.
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§ Sir John CopeThe cash limit for this vote—class XX, vote 1—will be reduced by £1,217,503,000 to £132,497,000.
Provision of £1,350,000,000 was taken on this vote to cover the difference between, on the one hand, United Kingdom contributions to the EC up to the level provided for under Community legislation, and paid direct from the Consolidated Fund under the terms of the European Communities Act 1972, and, on the other hand, those contributions sought by the EC Commission, reflecting a budget adopted by the European Parliament, but not agreed by the Council.
The council, Commission and European Parliament have subsequently adopted an amending and supplementary budget, resolving the legal uncertainty. Payments from May 1992 have reverted to full payment from the Consolidated Fund. Therefore, April's payment of some £132.5 million from this vote will be the only expenditure incurred.