§ Mr. MacleanTo ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 31 March 1999,Official Report, columns 716-17, if he will indicate those sections of his oral statement of 29 March 1999, Official Report, columns 732-47, which answered the questions tabled by (a) the right hon. Member for Penrith and the Border, (b) the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce), and (c) the hon. Member for Christchurch (Mr. Chope), with regard to the EU budget negotiations at Berlin. [81385]
§ The Prime MinisterIn my Statement to the House on 29 March 1999,Official Report, columns 732-33, I said:
13WOn the abatement, I am delighted to report that the presidency conclusions say in terms that the UK abatement will remain. In line with the 1988 and 1992 European Council conclusions, the UK accepted that we should not make a windfall gain out of changes to the method of EU financing … The result is that there will be no reduction in the United Kingdom's rebate.In response to subsequent questions on the Statement, at column 746, I said:
In respect of contributions, yes, as a result of our settlement, for the first time, although we will remain the second-largest net contributors, we will be closer to France and Italy than we have been at any time in the European Community.And, at column 747:
The 220 million figure is the windfall gain that we would have made if issues that are presently unabated were subject to abatement. In reaching agreement, we did precisely what was acceded to in 1988 and 1992. However, the difference with this Government is that we have not only kept the rebate intact so that there will be no reduction but managed to agree that there should be no increase in the own resources ceiling. That was something that the previous Conservative Government signally failed to do" [Official Report, 29 March 1999, Vol. 328, c. 732-33].As is always the case following EU budgetary reform, the final effects on the UK's net contribution of the complex changes to the Common Agricultural Policy, the Structural Funds and the financial framework will of course depend on the completion of discussions with the European Parliament, and on the final decisions to be taken by the Commission about the details allocation of the Funds.