§ Mr. Marlowasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the United Kingdom net contribution to the EEC in the current year to date; and whether and by what means any of this will be recovered subsequent to agreement on the levels of the United Kingdom's contribution for the current year and beyond.
§ Mr. Lawson[pursuant to his reply, 21 April 1980, c. 22]: Total United Kingdom payments of own resources in the first four months of 1980, under the arrangements described in my reply of 6 March, amounted to £663.9 million. Figures for United Kingdom receipts in 1980 are not yet available.
As my hon. Friend is aware, the Government are determined to secure a substantial, immediate, and lasting reduction in the United Kingdom's net contribution in 1980. The precise means by which this will be achieved remain a matter for decision by the European Council. But the Commission has proposed that the solution should incorporate an adaptation of the existing financial mechanism and supplementary Community expenditure in the United Kingdom under a new article 235 regulation.