§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the budgeted cost and the actual cost of the common agricultural policy in 1983; what is the budgeted cost and the likely cost for 1983–84; and if the budgeted cost for 1984–85 will be below that for 1983–84.
§ Mr. MacGregorAll Community expenditure is budgeted in terms of calendar years. Following adoption of the 1983 supplementary and amending budget No. 2, the budget provision for expenditure from the European agriculture guidance and guarantee fund in 1983 was 16,468 mecu. Actual 1983 expenditure from the guarantee section of the fund is provisionally forecast as 15,811 mecu aganst the budget provision of 15,848 mecu. The 1983 budget provision for the guidance section of the fund was 620 mecu, but no figure for actual expenditure has yet been published. The 1984 budget provision for the fund is 17,163 mecu, of which 16,543 mecu is for the guarantee section and 620 mecu for the guidance section. It is too early to predict the outturn for 1984 with any certainty. The Commission is expected to present its preliminary draft budget for 1985 in June. It is unlikely that the provision made for EAGGF expenditure will be lower than that made in 1983 or 1984.