§ Mr. Knoxasked the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the European Community budget was devoted to the social fund in each year since it was created.
§ Mr. Gummer[pursuant to his reply, 24 July 1984, c. 494]: Since 1973 the proportions of the budget devoted to the social fund have been:
Year Per cent. 1973 5.9 1974 6.5 1975 6.3 1976 5.8 1977 *1.9 1978 4.3 1979 3.7 1980 2.3 1981 4.6 1982 5.8 1983 7.9 1984 7.2 * The 1977 figure reflects the Fund review carried out in that year. These figures are derived from the budgets the Community adopted annually, as published in the Community's "Official Journal" and relate to the expenditure for which the Community budgets rather than the commitments it proposes to make. Until the fund rules were reviewed in 1983, projects supported by the social fund could run for up to three years and payments made in any one year reflect commitments made up to three years before as well as in that year.
It is not possible to provide such information back to the foundation of the social fund (in 1957 under the Treaty of Rome). This information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.