§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the net budget contribution of(a) the United Kingdom, (b) France and (c) West Germany to the EEC for 1989; what is his estimate for 1990, 1991 and 1992 both in absolute terms and per capita; and what are his proposals for reducing the British contribution.
§ Mr. RyderThe latest published estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the Community budget in 1989, which appeared in the statement on the 1989 Community budget (Cm. 680), is £1,966 million. This figure is the equivalent of £34.43 per capita, on the basis of the estimated United Kingdom population of 57.1 million in 1988 which is contained in the 1990 edition of "Social Trends". A revised estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution in 1989, and an estimate of the United Kingdom's net contribution in 1990, will be published shortly in the statement on the 1990 Community budget.688W It is not the Government's practice to publish calendar year forecasts for future years; but the recent public expenditure White Paper (Cm. 1018) provides estimates for the financial years up to and including 1992–93.
Comparable figures for other member states' net contributions are not available.
The United Kingdom's contribution to the Community budget is being significantly reduced by the Fontainebleau abatement mechanism. This will have produced a cumulative benefit of some £7.5 billion by the end of 1990.