§ Mr. Blakerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will set out in the OFFICIAL REPORT all sums which the EEC has a commitment to pay to the United Kingdom and all sums which the United Kingdom has a commitment to pay to the EEC in each case as at the latest convenient date, together with an indication of the sums already paid.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettProtocol No. 1 to the Treaty of Accession provides for Her Majesty's Government to pay approximately £57.5 million to the European Investment Bank (EIB) as a contribution to the bank's capital and reserves. This contribution is payable by five equal instalments over the first two and a half years of membership. Protocol No. 24 of the treaty provides for Her Majesty's Government to pay approximately £24 million to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) as a contribution to the Community's reserves. This contribution is payable in three equal annual instalments. Of these sums £46 million has so far been paid to the EIB and £16 million to the ECSC.
Payments to the Community budget by the United Kingdom to date total £337 million. Future payments will depend on the cash needs of the Community budget to which the United Kingdom contributes in accordance with the Treaty of Accession. Production levies, totalling approximately £11 million, have also been paid to the ECSC.
670WUp to the end of October 1974 the United Kingdom had received £195 million from the Community budget. This includes £13 million from the European Social Fund, £28 million as the refund of the cost of collecting "own resources" and £146 million for United Kingdom expenditure borne by the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund on market regulation under the common agricultural policy.
In addition the Commission is committed to paying the United Kingdom up to a further £9 million from the European Social Fund in respect of the 1973 budget. In respect of the 1974 budget £11 million has been committed to the United Kingdom so far from the Social Fund; total commitments for the year are expected to be higher. The Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund is committed to pay £8 million in grants towards United Kingdom individual projects under the Community's 1973 programme: no decisions have yet been taken by the Commission about the 1974 programme. The United Kingdom expects to receive further sums from this section for schemes made under various EEC regulations and directives.
The ECSC has also made commitments for loans to the United Kingdom totalling £79 million, of which £36 million had been received by 31st October 1974. Grants totalling £5 million have also been made by the ECSC to the United Kingdom, of which £1 million had been received by 31st October. The EIB has, to date, made loans totalling £91 million to United Kingdom bodies.