asked the Minister for Finance (a) the country's financial contribution to the EEC since 1973; (b) the total benefits to this country from the EEC each year since 1973; and (c) the Departments and projects that have benefited from EEC funding since 1973.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Financial Contribution to EEC.
4.
A Cheann Comhairle, on this question I am seeking your guidance following the discussion we had yesterday. The answer to the question is in the form of a tabular statement with explanatory notes which cover the full page. I could give the Deputy the overall figures he requires, but I will defer to your ruling on the matter.
The way the Minister answers a question is a matter for himself. The Chair will not direct how questions should be answered. He felt yesterday, and still feels, that when a question is answered partly in a written statement and partly orally in the House, supplementary questions become both difficult and confused. A supplementary question may refer only to the answer out of which it immediately arises. Hence it is difficult to see how a Deputy can ask a supplementary question when he is unaware of the nature of the answer. That is the Chair's feeling and he does not think it is unreasonable.
I beg your pardon, Deputy Durkan. This is your question, but I want to raise a point of order on the broad general principle. A Cheann Comhairle, I feel we must raise this matter with you because it has been an established tradition as long as I have been here that, even though the answer is in the form of a tabular statement, Deputies were given some latitude to ask supplementaries in global terms, not asking for the details of the answer. Very often Deputies were given permission to ask for the total figure involved, or some broad type of question like that. I do not think we should depart from that, at least without discussion.
Deputy Haughey will agree that it would not be satisfactory to have a long discussion on it now. If Deputy Haughey would like to have the matter considered by the Committee on Procedure and Privileges, I am sure that can be arranged.
I do not think it merits anything as heavy as that. I suggest that within reasonable limits you should allow the existing practice to continue. It has not done all that much damage to our parliamentary proceedings.
The Chair does not wish to force any issue on the matter today. The existing practice was becoming more confused and leading to more difficulties by the question almost. It is a matter for the Minister as to how he will answer the question.
In that event I will merely say that the reply is in the form of a tabular statement which will be circulated in the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
1. Receipts from EEC by way of grants and subsidies.
|
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
1982 |
|
|
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
|
|
FEOGA - Guarantee |
||||||||||
|
Section |
37.1 |
63.8 |
102.2 |
102.0 |
245.1 |
365.6 |
396.5 |
381.1 |
304.6 |
344.3 |
|
- Guidance Section |
— |
— |
0.6 |
2.6 |
7.3 |
9.7 |
18.5 |
31.5 |
42.4 |
60.9 |
|
European Social Fund |
— |
3.6 |
4.0 |
4.6 |
8.2 |
19.3 |
28.8 |
46.7 |
45.3 |
73.2 |
|
European Regional |
||||||||||
|
Development Fund |
— |
— |
1.8 |
8.5 |
8.5 |
11.1 |
25.5 |
46.4 |
54.6 |
66.1 |
|
EMS interest subsidies |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
44.5 |
45.5 |
46.0 |
50.1 |
|
Maritime Surveillance measures |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
7.9 |
4.5 |
5.6 |
— |
|
Research and investment projects |
||||||||||
|
Energy projects |
— |
0.2 |
0.3 |
0.4 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
2.4 |
2.5 |
2.8 |
3.2 |
|
Miscellaneous studies & projects |
||||||||||
|
Total |
37.1 |
67.6 |
108.9 |
118.1 |
270.1 |
406.7 |
524.1 |
558.2 |
501.3 |
597.8 |
|
2. Net contribution to EEC budget* |
5.3 |
6.7 |
9.9 |
13.4 |
22.1 |
46.1 |
60.6 |
88.9 |
105.4 |
136.7 |
|
3. Net Benefit |
31.8 |
60.9 |
99.0 |
104.7 |
248.0 |
360.6 |
463.5 |
469.3 |
395.9 |
461.1 |
4. Loans drawn down by Ireland from 1973 to 1982 were as follows:
|
1973 |
1974 |
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
1982 |
|
|
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
|
|
EIB |
11.1 |
24.8 |
22.0 |
35.4 |
52.1 |
78.5 |
168.1 |
224.7 |
225.1 |
224.4 |
|
ECSC |
0.2 |
— |
1.2 |
— |
0.1 |
— |
17.5 |
3.1 |
7.8 |
— |
|
Community loan (“Oil facility”) |
— |
— |
— |
156.0 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
|
NIC |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
58.0 |
28.1 |
11.9 |
57.3 |
|
Total |
11.3 |
24.8 |
23.2 |
191.4 |
52.2 |
78.5 |
243.6 |
255.9 |
244.8 |
281.7 |
*The figures take account of the 10% refund to Ireland to cover the collection costs of Own Resources. The figures do not include contributions to the EIB, the ECSC or Euratom Research Programmes. These and other payments arising from membership of the European Communities amounted to about £20 million during the period 1973 to 1982.
Notes:
FEOGA Guarantee Section.
The EEC Commission advances money to the Department of Agriculture on a monthly basis for the payment of export refunds, MCAs, production and consumption aids. However, where intervention is concerned, the EEC does not finance the operations directly but pays certain costs and expenses associated with the operation of intervention and also losses on sales of intervention stocks.
Receipts under the Guarantee Section include amounts of £24 million in 1976, £128 million in 1977, £140 million in 1978, £78 million in 1979, £13.5 million in 1980 and £0.3 million in 1981 for the UK and Italian MCA import subsidies which have been administered by Ireland in respect of Irish exports to the UK and Italy since 17 May 1976.
FEOGA Guidance Section.
Expenditure on Guidance measures is incurred by a number of Departments and State Agencies. The Department of Agriculture (as the Irish Intervention Agency) co-ordinates annual recoupment of the eligible portion of this expenditure (except that relating to fisheries) from the EEC Commission. The projects which are assisted under the Guidance Section of FEOGA are as follows.
|
Scheme |
FEOGA Guidance Section receipts |
||||||||
|
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
1982 |
Total |
|
|
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
|
|
Individual Projects |
0.298 |
2.067 |
2.173 |
2.665 |
2.463 |
5.522 |
2.303 |
1.347 |
18.838 |
|
Farm Modernisation Scheme |
— |
0.280 |
0.865 |
1.597 |
2.672 |
3.865 |
8.601 |
7.083 |
24.963 |
|
Cessation of Farming |
— |
0.001 |
0.004 |
0.001 |
0.028 |
0.005 |
0.051 |
0.036 |
0.126 |
|
Socio Economic/Vocational Training |
— |
0.003 |
0.047 |
0.015 |
0.070 |
0.080 |
0.202 |
1.0 |
1.417 |
|
Marketing and Processing |
— |
— |
— |
— |
0.053 |
0.916 |
3.066 |
6.011 |
10.046 |
|
Less Favoured Areas |
— |
— |
4.131 |
5.063 |
8.996 |
9.968 |
14.069 |
19.086 |
61.313 |
|
Hop Producers |
— |
— |
— |
— |
0.001 |
— |
— |
— |
0.001 |
|
Beef and Veal Premiums |
0.151 |
0.215 |
0.069 |
0.072 |
— |
0.066 |
0.004 |
— |
0.577 |
|
Structures Surveys |
0.136 |
0.081 |
0.041 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
0.258 |
|
Fruit & Vegetable Producers |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
0.023 |
— |
0.023 |
|
Fishery Producers |
— |
— |
— |
— |
0.023 |
— |
0.007 |
0.018 |
0.048 |
|
Inshore Fishing Conversion |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
3.618 |
2.524 |
2.514 |
8.656 |
|
Dairy Herds Conversion Scheme |
— |
— |
— |
0.280 |
0.632 |
2.302 |
2.384 |
1.540 |
7.138 |
|
Disease Eradication |
— |
— |
— |
— |
1.013 |
2.613 |
— |
5.697 |
9.323 |
|
Statistical Survey of Fruit Trees |
— |
— |
— |
0.003 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
0.003 |
|
Western Drainage |
— |
— |
— |
— |
2.560 |
2.500 |
6.403 |
5.563 |
17.026 |
|
West of Ireland |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
2.714 |
8.483 |
11.197 |
|
Special Measures |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
2.504 |
2.504 |
|
Total |
0.585 |
2.647 |
7.330 |
9.696 |
18.511 |
31.455 |
42.351 |
60.882 |
173.457 |
Grant assistance from the European Social Fund.
The Department of Labour carries out the co-ordination associated with ESF receipts. During the period 1973 to end1982 the following bodies were grant aided from the ESF.
|
— AnCO |
£ |
108m |
|
— IDA |
£ |
26m |
|
— Rehabilitation bodies |
£ |
46.6m |
|
— Department of Education |
£ |
24.9m |
|
— National Manpower Service |
£ |
6.1m |
|
— CERT |
£ |
4.4m |
|
— Údarás na Gaeltachta |
£ |
2.2m |
|
— SFADCo |
£ |
1.1m |
|
— Department of the Environment |
£ |
0.6m |
|
— Other |
£ |
13.8m |
|
Total |
£ |
233.7m |
Grant assistance from the European Regional Development Fund (established 1975).
Receipts are paid into the Exchequer — not to individual projects — and are applied to increase the State's overall capital expenditure on regional development under the following headings:—
|
1975 |
1976 |
1977 |
1978 |
1979 |
1980 |
1981 |
1982 |
Total |
|
|
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
£m |
|
|
Roads |
— |
2 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
7 |
10 |
35 |
|
Telecommunications |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
6 |
20 |
22 |
25 |
81 |
|
Water Supply and Sewerage Schemes |
— |
2 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
6 |
7 |
10 |
34 |
|
Harbour Development |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
|
Arterial Drainage |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
Regional Technical Colleges |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
Industrial Development |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
10 |
12 |
13 |
13 |
55 |
|
Other |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
2 |
2 |
|
Total |
222 |
EMS Interest Subsidies
In the context of negotiations for Ireland's entry into the European Monetary System loans of 333.3 MECU (IR£225m approximately) and associated interest subsidies of 66.6 MECU per annum (IR£46m approximately) for five years were made available in respect of European Investment Bank and New Community Instrument borrowings over the period 1979-1983. These loans and subsidies are paid directly to the Exchequer and are concentrated primarily on infrastructural projects.
Other projects.
Grant assistance under other headings such as research and investment projects, energy projects and various studies has also been received from the EEC budget. Bodies which have benefited from such grants include the following:— National Board for Science and Technology; Medico-Social Research Board; An Foras Talúntais; Economic and Social Research Institute; An Foras Forbartha; Institute for Industrial Research and Standards.
Is it possible for the Minister to indicate to the House whether or not the tabular statement reflects a net benefit or loss in the years from 1977 to date? What was the trend?
The information requested by the Deputy shows a very substantial net gain over the period to which he refers.