HC Deb 03 June 1991 vol 192 cc29-30W
Mr. Spearing

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will tabulate in theOfficial Report for the European financial year 1990 the gross amounts paid by the United Kingdom to the European Community under the following headings (a) VAT-related payments, (b) gross domestic product related payments, (c) CCT-related payments and (d) other payments, noting for each the relevant treaty and United Kingdom statutory basis, together with the gross total, the amount deducted by the Fontainebleau mechanism and the date when that agreement is subject to re-adoption or termination, together with the amounts received from the European Community by the United Kingdom Government or other agencies showing the net payments in £ sterling and percentage of gross and net contribution, respectively, together with any relevant note related to payments for administrative or collection costs.

Mr. Maude

The information requested on the United Kingdom's contribution and receipts during 1990, including abatement, is given in the "Statement on the 1991 Community Budget" (Cm. 1490) published in April 1991. The level and structure of Community revenues are subject to the own resources decision 1988, which includes provision for the United Kingdom's abatement mechanism; parliamentary authority for our contributions is given under the European Communities Act 1972. The Commission is due to report on the operation of the own resources system later this year; any amendment would require unanimous agreement by member states and ratification by national Parliaments.

Outturn information on the contributions of other member states is not available. However, the "Statement on the 1990 Community Budget" (Cm. 1059) estimated the United Kingdom's share of gross contributions after abatement as 15.1 per cent. The Commission does not publish full information on receipts or net balances of other member states. It is not therefore possible to give the United Kingdom's share of net contributions.

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