HC Deb 18 February 1992 vol 204 cc83-4W
Dr. David Clark

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give the financial contributions made by each member state in £ sterling to the European Community and their net receipts under European Community expenditure in each of the last five years.

Mr. Maude

Member states' gross contributions to the European Community budget for the last five years for which outturn information is available were as follows:

£ billion
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Belgium 1.0 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3
Denmark 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6
Germany 5.9 6.6 7.7 7.5 7.4
Greece 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4
Spain 1.6 1.2 2.1 2.1 2.6
France 4.6 5.2 6.0 5.8 5.8
Ireland 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3
Italy 3.2 3.7 4.4 4.3 4.4
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Luxembourg 1 0.1 0.1 1 0.1
Netherlands 1.5 1.7 1.9 1.8 1.9
Portugal 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4
United Kingdom 3.2 4.0 3.5 4.4 4.7
Source: European Court of Auditors' Report, converted to £ sterling at the annual average exchange rate for each year.
Note: (1)1—signifies contribution of less than £0.05 billion.

(2) The table gives contributions after allowing for the United Kingdom's abatement.

Full details of member states' receipts are not published. However the 1990 Court of Auditors report allocates some 85 per cent. of budgetary payments, the main items of internal expenditure excluded are administration and research. It gives receipts over the last five years for which information is available as follows:

£ billion
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990
Belgium 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.7
Denmark 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.9
Germany 3.3 3.2 3.6 3.1 3.4
Greece 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.7 2.2
Spain 1.6 1.4 2.7 3.3 3.8
France 4.2 4.8 4.9 3.8 4.5
Ireland 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.6
Italy 3.0 3.7 3.7 4.1 4.1
Luxembourg 1 1 1 1 1
Netherlands 1.6 2.0 2.6 2.6 2.1
Portugal 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8
United Kingdom 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.2
Note: 1 — signifies contribution of less than £0.05 billion.

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