§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the European Economic Community Council has received a report from the European Economic Community Court of Auditors about the recent intergovernmental agreement to provide additional finance to the European Economic Community; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BrookeYes. The Court of Auditors referred to the 1984 intergovernmental agreement in paragraphs 1.10 to 1.13 of its annual report on the Communities' accounts published in theOfficial Journal on 16 December 1985 (OJ c326). The report is under discussion in the Council's Budget Committee. Copies are available in the Library of the House. An explanatory memorandum on the report was submitted on 17 January 1986.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the £117,917,000 being paid to the European Economic Community under article 10(2) of Council regulation 2891/77 represents an actual increase in European Economic Community contributions by the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Brooke[pursuant to his reply, 27 January 1986, c. 410]: No. The sum of £117.917 million is that part of the advance payment of £134 million of non-VAT own resources announced on 21 November 1985 at columns 248–249 which could not be financed from the provision remaining in class II, vote 9. It was financed initially from the Contingencies Fund and the Government are now seeking supplementary provision to repay the fund. Advance payment of the £134 million in November, rather than in December, represented a change in timing but not in the level of our contributions.