§ Mr. Marlowasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in view of the fact that tax and commodity flows into Northern Ireland are known, why it is not possible to estimate the financial cost or benefit to Northern Ireland of membership of the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. LawsonThe net financial cost or benefit to the United Kingdom of EEC membership depends upon the value of levies, Customs duties and VAT own resources contributions paid by the United Kingdom to the EEC budget, offset770W by receipts from the budget and also offset by any extra-budgetary payments due to the United Kingdom under article 131 of the Treaty of Accession. To estimate the financial cost or benefit to Northern Ireland would involve identifying the Northern Ireland element of all these constituents of the United Kingdom net contribution but this is not possible. Information on levies and Customs duties collected in Northern Ireland is available, but these do not take account of imports destined for Northern Ireland entering through ports elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Figures for the Northern Ireland share of VAT own resources are not available; amounts collected in Northern Ireland do not fully reflect tax payments by residents since these are frequently paid in another part of the United Kingdom. Information on some Northern Ireland receipts from the EEC is separately recorded, but this does not include those in respect of the guarantee section of the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund.