§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the actual net payment to the European Economic Community in 1985; and what were the comparable figures in 1975 and 1980, respectively.
§ Mr. BrookeThe latest estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the European Economic Community in 1985 is £1,870 million. The special reasons why the figure was so large were explained in my reply of 3 March 1986 to my hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich (Mr. Bowden) at column 69. Our net contribution in 1980 was £706 million, while in 1975 we benefited from net receipts of £56 million. United Kingdom contributions during the period 1975–79 were, of course, reduced by the transitional financial arrangements applying for the first four years after accession.