§ Mr. Proctorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the cost of the United Kingdom's membership of the United Nations for the year 1984–85 and the projected cost for the year 1985–86; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RifkindThe United Kingdom's contribution to the United Nations regular budget in the financial year 1984–85, at our assessed rate of 4.67 per cent., was £23,342,619. In addition, the United Kingdom contributes voluntarily to many United Nations programmes and agencies such as the United Nations Children Fund or the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control, and pays assessed contributions to the regular budgets of the specialised agencies of the United Nations system such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation or the World Health Organisation. Our regular budget contribution for 1986–87 cannot yet be accurately determined: the budget for the biennium 1986–87 will be settled at the United Nations General Assembly later this year. But we are urging that the new budget should involve no real growth and that our assessed rate of contribution in the next biennium should be similar to the present rate.