§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the United Kingdom contribution to, and public sector receipts from, the EC budget for(a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999 in pound sterling. [3337]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe latest estimates of the United Kingdom's net contribution to the European Community Budget are those set out in the Departmental Report published by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer in March this year (Cm. 3617). These cover the financial years 1997–98 to 1999–2000 and are as follows:
- 1997–98: £2,750 million
- 1998–99: £3,000 million
- 1999–2000: £3,400 million
These estimates were produced under the revised methodology announced in the 1996 Financial Statement and Budget Report and explained further in the Departmental Report. They estimate the trend in the UK's net contribution over the period in question, incorporating the UK's gross contribution, abatement and public sector receipts, and do not identify the individual elements which the right hon. Member has requested. An estimate of the UK's gross contribution to, and receipts from, the 1997 EC Budget will be included in the annual White paper on the EC Budget which the Government will publish before the recess.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the(a) contributions to, and (b) total public sector receipts from, the EC budget for each member state for each year from 1993 to 1996 in pound sterling. [3338]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe tables set out the information requested for the years 1993 to 1995. These figures are derived from ecu figures contained in annual reports of the European Court of Auditors and have been converted 239W to sterling using the annual average exchange rates shown. Information on 1996 will not be available until the Court of Auditors publish their report on the 1996 Community Budget later this year.
Gross contributions by member states 1993 to 1995 £ million 1993 1994 1995 Belgium 1,864 2,184 2,195 Denmark 939 1,003 1,061 Germany 14,851 16,532 17,463 Greece 787 768 807 Spain 4,027 3,651 2,985 France 8,988 9,711 9,726 Ireland 442 494 544 Italy 7,991 6,004 5,252 Luxembourg 130 128 137 Netherlands 3,138 3,285 3,562 Austria n/a n/a 1,444 Portugal 708 941 708 Finland n/a n/a 727 Sweden n/a n/a 1,358
Receipts paid to Member States 1993–95 £ million Belgium Denmark Germany Greece Spain France Ireland Italy Luxembg. Nethrland. Austria Portugal Finland Sweden UK 1993 1,911 1,233 5,641 4,008 6.433 8,195 2,288 6,804 278 2,105 n/a 2,661 n/a n/a 3,504 1994 1,944 1,157 5,981 3,748 6,062 7,679 1,850 4,038 324 1,869 n/a 2,354 n/a n/a 4,069 1995 1,940 1,311 6,464 3,664 8,896 8,312 2,090 4,749 101 1,920 702 2,658 592 590 3,711 Source:
Court of Auditors Reports, converted to sterling using £=1.2845 (1993), £=1.2924 (1994) and £=1.2211 (1995).
It should be noted that the European Community Budget is denominated in ECU but that the figures in this table have been converted to sterling using the annual average exchange rate for each of the years. These figures should, therefore treated with caution.
Notes:
Due to a change in the basis of the Court of Auditors report figures, administration payments to Member States, including other institutions. are not included in the amounts shown for 1995. This mainly effects Belgium and Luxembourg.