§ Mr. Woofasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount was transferred to the European Economic Community in respect of the 1975 Budget; and what amount was received from the European Economic Community during March 1976.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettThe United Kingdom contributed £342 million to the Community budget during 1975. This sum is not exactly the same as the United Kingdom contribution to the 1975 budget because the Financial Regulation of 25th April 1973 (Official Journal V16L116) provides that unspent appropriations inscribed in one year's budget may be carried forward to the following year. The United Kingdom share of contributions to the 1975 budget was 13.57 per cent.
Estimates of receipts from the Community budget as a whole during March 1976 are not readily available, but it is expected that refunds in respect of the 252W costs of collecting the Community's "own resources" will amount to £2.6 million, and that the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce will receive about £17 million from the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund.
§ Mr. Woofasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the total value of imports from, and the total value of exports to, the other eight EEC member countries each year since 1971; and what has, therefore, been the net balance of payments effect of British-EEC trade for each of these years both in money terms and as a percentage of Great Britain's reserves.
§ Mr. DellThe net balance of payments effect of British-EEC trade involves a large number of influences which cannot be quantified, so that its relationship with the official reserves cannot be given. The figures for visible trade given below have been published on page 747 of the 12th March 1976 issue ofTrade and Industry, a copy of which has been placed in the Library:
VISIBLE TRADE WITH EIGHT EEC COUNTRIES (£ million) United Kingdom Exports United Kingdom Imports Visible Balance 1971 … 2,408 2,591 -183 1972 … 2,684 3,267 -583 1973 … 3,755 4,922 -1,167 1974 … 5,277 7,303 -2,026 1975 … 5,965 8,319 -2,354
§ Mr. Woodasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his latest estimate in current prices of the United Kingdom's gross contribution to the European Economic Community budget, of the United Kingdom's receipts in 1975, and of the United Kingdom's net contribution; and on what dates during 1976 these payments will be made.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettThe United Kingdom contributed £342 million to the Community budget during 1975; receipts in the same period totalled £396 million; receipts therefore exceeded contributions by £54 million. Payments to the Community budget are made monthly, on the basis of the United Kingdom's share of the cost of financing Community expenditure during the following month.
253W
§ Mr. Woofasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what are the figures for the last 12 months for the rate of inflation of the European Economic Community countries; and how this compares with the United Kingdom over the same period.
§ Mr. Denzil DaviesBetween January 1975 and January 1976—the latest dates available for comparison—the percentage increase in retail prices of consumer goods and services for each of the member countries of the European Economic Community was as follows:
Belgium … … 10.8 Luxembourg … … 11.8 Denmark … … 4.8 France … … 9.6 West Germany … … 5.3 Irish Republic * … … 16.8 Italy … … 10.9 Netherlands … … 8.7 United Kingdom … … 23.4 * Between November 1974 and November 1975. Source: OECD "Main Economic Indicators", March 1976.