§ Mr. Martenasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to his reply to the hon. Member for Banbury, Official Report, 15 February, column 1301, in what areas other than the common agricultural policy he is seeking to reduce the United Kingdom's budgetary contribution to the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. Denis Healey, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 22 February 1979; Vol. 963, c. 267–8], gave the following information:
I refer the hon. Member to the statement of the British Government's attitude to the United Kingdom's level of net contributions to the Community Budget made by my right honourable Friend the Minister of State in the House on 21 February during the debate on Community Budget documents. A reduction in the cost of the common agricultural 342W policy is a major objective. In addition, we should like to see more resources devoted to Community programmes in non-agricultural sectors, in particular to benefit regions with declining industries and with urban and social problems. We also favour a modification, by introduction of the principle of progressivity, of the method of financing the Budget. Overall, we consider that member States' net contributions to the Budget should be brought much more into line with their relative prosperity.