§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money Northern Ireland has received from the European regional development fund from 1 January 1975 to 31 December 1981; how much of these receipts each year represented a cash addition to the Northern Ireland economy; and how much was used to offset Government expenditure on Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Adam ButlerDetails of receipts from the European regional development fund by financial year for Northern Ireland projects since the inception of the fund in 1975 to 31 December 1981 are as follows:
Financial Year Receipts £ million 1975–76 2.9 1976–77 7.2 1977–78 6.4 1978–79 4.0 1979–80 16.0 1980–81 21.0 1981–31 December 1981 7.0 Total 64.5 European regional development fund receipts for Northern Ireland are handled in the same way as receipts for other parts of the United Kingdon. Receipts for infrastructure projects are passed on to bodies responsible for undertaking infrastructure works, thus representing a direct benefit to those bodies by enabling them to reduce their capital indebtedness. Receipts in respect of industrial projects in Northern Ireland, as in other parts of the United Kingdom, are retained by the Government in partial payment for financial assistance already provided. Receipts from the European regional development fund enable the Government to maintain public expenditure at a higher level than would otherwise be feasible. Figures for (i) industrial receipts and (ii) infrastructure receipts in each financial year since the inception of the fund, to 31 December 1981 are as follows:
(i) Industrial Receipts retained by Government (ii) Infrastructure Receipts passed on to other authorities £ million £ million 1975–76 2.3 — 1976–77 3.8 1.6 1977–78 2.5 5.1 1978–79 1.3 2.9 1979–80 2.7 14.1 1980–81 10.2 10.8 1981–31 December 1981 3.5 *3.5 * Includes £1.7 million received but not passed on at 31 December 1981.
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money Northern Ireland has received from the European social fund in each financial year since 1 January 1973 to 31 December 1981; how much of these receipts were paid to the private sector and how much to the public sector; how much each year represented a cash addition to the Northern Ireland economy; and how much was used to offset Government expenditure on Northern Ireland.
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§ Mr. Adam ButlerTotal receipts from the European social fund and for the private and public sectors in each financial year since 1 January 1973 to 31 December 1981 are as follows:
Financial Year Total Private sector Public sector £ million £ million £ million 1973–74 Nil Nil Nil 1974–75 3.36 Nil 3.36 1975–76 0.01 0.01 Nil 1976–77 6.43 0.12 6.31 1977–78 7.52 0.35 7.17 1978–79 14.95 0.42 14.53 1979–80 14.96 0.57 14.39 1980–81 23.01 2.00 21.01 1981–31 December 1981 17.52 1.78 15.74 TOTALS 87.76 5.25 82.51 EC moneys which are earned by the private sector are now passed on to the claimant as are receipts in respect of certain public sector bodies. In both these cases the receipts provide a direct cash benefit to the recipients. The balance of moneys from the European social fund is retained by the Government and enables public expenditure to be maintained at a higher level than would otherwise be feasible. The figures for each category are set out below:
Financial Year Total Direct payments Receipts retained by Government £ million £ million £ million 1973–74 Nil Nil Nil 1974–75 3.36 Nil 3.36 1975–76 0.01 0.01 — 1976–77 6.43 0.12 6.31 1977–78 7.52 0.35 7.17 1978–79 14.95 0.92 14.03 1979–80 14.96 10.0 13.96 1980–81 23.01 2.78 20.23 1981–31 December 1981 17.52 2.39 15.13 TOTALS 87.76 7.57 80.19
§ Rev. Ian Paisleyasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money Northern Ireland received to 31 December 1981 from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund guidance section; how much of these receipts were paid to (a) the private sector and (b) the public sectors; how much represented a cash addition to the Northern Ireland economy; and how much each year was used to offset Government expenditure on Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Adam ButlerDuring the period 1 January 1973 to 31 December 1981 the following amounts were received in each financial year by Northern Ireland under the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund guidance section:
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£ Million Individual Capital Projects Other Guidance Schemes Financial Year Private Sector Public Sector Private Sector Total 1973–74 — — — — 1974–75 — — 0.25 0.25 1975–76 0.45 — 0.21 0.66
Individual Capital Projects Other Guidance Schemes Financial Year Private Sector Public Sector Private Sector Total 1976–77 1.87 0.31 0.27 2.45 1977–78 1.28 0.31 1.28 2.87 1978–79 0.70 0.24 2.46 3.40 1979–80 1.27 0.20 3.21 4.68 1980–81 1.91 1.05 3.35 6.31 1981–31 December 1981 1.25 0.13 *4.69 6.07 8.73 2.24 15.72 26.69 * Figure at 15 March 1982 All these receipts represent cash additions to the recipients.
In addition £0.03 million was received by the public sector from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund guidance section between 1973 and 1981 for socioeconomic training.
In this answer "Public Sector" includes the Milk Marketing Board, which is not financed from public funds, although it is a statutory body. "Other Guidance Schemes" refers to the approximate share borne by the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund of total expenditure in Northern Ireland on various structural schemes which were applied across the United Kingdom.