HC Deb 14 November 1979 vol 973 cc627-8W
Mr. George Cunningham

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the Isle of Man's current contribution to the United Kingdom Exchequer in the form of the Imperial Contribution; and what changes have been effected in that contribution in the last two years.

Mr. Peter Rees

[pursuant to his reply. 13 November 1979]: The Isle of Man's voluntary contribution to the United Kingdom Exchequer for 1979–80 is estimated to be £540,000. The contribution made in 1977–78 was £716,377 and in 1978–79 was £414,571. The Isle of Man Government have reduced the contribution to enable them to pay an unexpectedly large bill in connection with the rebuilding of the landing stage at Liverpool, which is used by boats going to the Isle of Man.

Mr. George Cunningham

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the total of duties, levies, and so on, collected under the common purse agreement with the Isle of Man; what was the distribution between the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom in the last full year; and what will be the effect on that distribution of the new formula proposed in the Isle of Man Bill.

Mr. Peter Rees

[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1979]: The total common purse revenue and the Isle of Man's share for the four financial years ending in April this year plus an estimate for the current financial year are shown in the table below. The Isle of Man share is attributable to goods and services consumed on the island and distribution on this basis of the revenue collected is not affected by the provisions in the Isle of Man Bill.

Financial year Total common purse revenue (£ million) Isle of Man's share (£ million)
1975–76 8,140.1 11.0
1976–77 9,900.9 13.0
1977–78 11,183.6 14.6
1978–79 12,675.9 16.9
1979–80 (estimate) 17,045.0 21.8