HC Deb 15 April 1983 vol 40 cc467-9W
Rev. Ian Paisley

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money Northern Ireland has received from the European regional development fund in each financial year from 1 January 1975; how much of these receipts each year represents a cash addition to the Northern Ireland economy; and how much of these receipts was used to offset Government expenditure on Northern Ireland.

Mr. John Patten

[pursuant to his reply, 13 April 1983, c. 408]: The following amounts were received by Northern Ireland from the European regional development fund.

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
1981–82 *16.4
1982–83 *18.0
Total 91.9
* Includes receipts from the Non Quota Section of the European Regional Development Fund.

All these receipts represent cash additions to the recipients. These receipts are subject to normal European community audit arrangements.

Receipts for infrastructure projects are paid to bodies responsible for undertaking infrastructure works, thus representing a direct benefit to those bodies by enabling them to reduce their capital indebtedness.

Receipts for industrial projects in Northern Ireland, as in other parts of the United Kingdom, are appropriated-in-aid of voted expenditure. Figures for (i) industrial receipts and (ii) infrastructure receipts for each financial year since the inception of the fund are as follows:

£ million
Financial Year (i) Industrial receipts appropriated-in-aid (ii) Infrastructure receipts paid to qualifying bodies
1975–76 2.3 0.6
1976–77 3.8 3.4
1977–78 2.5 3.9
1978–79 0.8 3.2
1979–80 3.3 12.7
1980–81 10.2 10.8
1981–82 *7.7 8.7
1982–83 2.5 *15.5
Totals 33.1 58.8
* Includes receipts from the Non-Quota section of the European Regional Development Fund.

The overall level of receipts is taken into account in the Government's decisions on public expenditure allocations, and their availability enables public expenditure to be maintained at a higher level than would otherwise be feasible.

Rev. Ian Paisley

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money Northern Ireland has been allocated from the European social fund in each financial year since 1 January 1973; 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.

Mr. John Patten

[pursuant to his reply,13 April 983, c. 408]: The following amounts were received by northern ireland from the European social fund.

Table 1
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
1981–82 24.98 2.62 22.36
1982–83 35.24 5.52 29.72
Totals 130.46 11.61 118.85

These receipts represent cash additions to the recipients. These receipts are subject to normal European Community audit arrangements. Receipts earned by the private sector are paid to the claimant as are receipts in respect of certain public sector bodies. The balance of receipts earned by public sector schemes are appropriated in aid of voted expenditure.

The overall level of receipts is taken into account in the Government's decisions on public expenditure allocations, and their availability enables pubic expenditure to be maintained at a higher level than would otherwise be feasible.

Rev. Ian Paisley

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money Northern Ireland has received up to 31 December 1982 from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund guidance section; how much of these receipts were paid to the private sector and how much to the public sector; how much of these receipts represented a cash addition to the Northern Ireland economy; and how much each year was used to offset Government expenditure on Northern Ireland.

Mr. John Patten

[pursuant to his reply, 13 April 1983, c. 408.]: The following amounts were received by Northern Ireland from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund guidance section:

£ million
Financial year Individual Capital Projects Other Guidance Schemes Private Sector Total
Private Sector Public Sector
1973–74
1974–75 0.25 0.25
1975–76 0.45 0.21 0.66
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
1981–82 1.43 0.13 4.69 6.25
1982–83 (to Dec 1982) 1.56 0.53 0.67 2.76
Total 10.47 2.77 16.39 29.63

In addition £0.03 million was received by the public sector from the European agricultural guidance and guarantee fund guidance section between 1973 and 1982 for socio-economic training. All these receipts represent cash additions to the recipients. These receipts are subject to normal European Community audit arrangements.

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 thoughout the United Kingdom.

The overall level of receipts is taken into account in the Government's decisions on public expenditure allocations, and their availability enables public expenditure to be maintained at a higher level than would otherwise be feasible.