Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 1 April (HL7086), what are the annual (1) gross, and (2) net, costs of the UK's contributions to the EU for each year from 2013 to 2015 inclusive, and why those figures were not provided in that answer.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The outturn figures for gross and net contributions to the EU Budget in the year’s 2013 and 2014 can be found in Table 3B, page 16, of European Union Finances 2015 (Cm 9167), which is easily available in the House library and on gov.uk. Equivalent figures for 2015 are not yet available.
As shown in Table 3B of European Union Finances 2015 (Cm 9167), the UK’s gross and net contributions in 2013 and 2014 were:
2013: Gross €17.07 billion Net €10.76 billion (£9.13 billion)
2014: Gross €14.07 billion Net €7.09 billion (£5.71 billion)
Equivalent figures for 2015 are not yet available.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O’Neill of Gatley on 1 April (HL7086), why the Office for National Statistics Pink Book cannot be used to establish the UK's gross and net contributions to the EU; what Government sources provide a more accurate picture, and why.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
Data published in the Office for National Statistics Pink Book represent only those transactions that are administered by official bodies, in accordance with the European System of Accounts 2010 for the purposes of producing statistics on the UK’s balance of payments. These do not include all receipts from the EU. Table 3B, page 16, of European Union Finances 2015 (CM 9167) provides complete outturn figures, including receipts administered by public sector bodies and those received directly by beneficiaries. The difference between these, and other figures, are explained further in Annex B of the Treasury analysis of the long-run economic impact of EU membership and the alternatives.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Government buildings have been transferred to finance Islamic bond schemes; what restrictions there are on the use of such assets as a result of Sharia financing; and why that method of raising money was chosen.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
Three government properties underpin the Sukuk. These are Richmond House, Wellington House and 22-26 Whitehall.
The Sukuk is issued under, and governed by, English law. The properties underpinning the Sukuk continue to be occupied by the departments that were there before issuance, with no change to their use. While investors have a beneficial interest in the assets, they do not have any say over how the properties are used.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the annual (1) gross, and (2) net, costs of the UK's contributions to the EU for (a) 2014, (b) 2015, and (c) 2016, according to the Office for National Statistics "Pink Book", and what assessment they have made of those figures.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The outturn figures for gross and net UK contributions to the EU can be obtained from the 2015 EU Finances White Paper, Table 3.B, which is available on gov.uk and from the Library of the House.
The ONS Pink Book provides a measure of official transactions with the EU for the purposes of Balance of Payments statistics and cannot be used to establish the UK’s net contribution to the EU.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the United Kingdom’s cumulative expenditure and exposure since 2008 in relation to efforts to support the euro and the economies of Greece, Portugal and Spain; and what is the legal base for that support under the EU Treaties.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
The Government recently secured agreement that Member States who are not members of the single currency, including the UK, will not incur financial liabilities as a result of any future provision of Union financial assistance for the stability of the Eurozone.
UK contingent liabilities through loans guaranteed by the EU Budget are recorded in the annual accounts of the Consolidated Fund.
The latest accounts, published on the 22 July 2015, show a UK contingent liability to loans provided to Ireland and Portugal through the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM) of £5,299 million. This mechanism was established under Article 122(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.
The UK has incurred no expenditure through the provision of these EU loans. Only in the event that a recipient fails to repay a loan would the EU Budget be called upon, to which the UK contributes.
Since this report, further short-term EFSM assistance has been provided to Greece as a technical bridge finance mechanism for further euro area support from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). However, the Government secured legally-binding collateral arrangements which ensure no liability for UK taxpayers from this loan.
The UK is not a member of the euro area and therefore has no liability to the ESM, EFSF, or Greek Loan Facility. These were used to provide assistance to Spain, Cyprus and Greece.
In 2010, recognising our close economic and financial ties, the UK provided a bilateral loan to Ireland worth €3.2 billion under the Loans to Ireland Act 2010.
As a shareholder in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the UK has an exposure to its overall lending. The IMF is primarily a quota-based institution. The UK’s quota subscription to the IMF is 10,738.5 million Special Drawing Rights, equivalent to £10,009 million at 31 March 2015. This accounts for 4.5 per cent of total quotas at the IMF.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 28 May 2012 (WA 112–3), what were the top 20 categories (as defined by HM Revenue and Customs) of goods imported from outside the European Union in 2013 according to value of imports; and how much was collected by HMRC in gross customs duties in each of those categories in 2013.
Answered by Lord Deighton
The top 20 categories of goods imported from outside the European Union in 2013 by value are detailed in the table below. The table also provides details of the customs duties collected for each category as defined by the integrated tariff of the United Kingdom.
Rank | Value of goods (£) | Customs duty paid (£) | Category description |
1 | 41,171,266,525 | 1,126,611 | Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products made thereof |
2 | 25,579,474,047 | 135,782,315 | Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances |
3 | 18,954,148,255 | 18,663,167 | Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad with precious metal and articles made thereof |
4 | 17,924,341,565 | 201,768,337 | Electrical machinery, equipment and parts; includes sound and television recorders and reproducers |
5 | 7,175,773,811 | 5,102,959 | Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof |
6 | 6,427,348,150 | 379,211,375 | Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted |
7 | 6,396,399,234 | 208,449,001 | Vehicles, other than railway or tramway rolling stock and parts and accessories thereof |
8 | 5,676,252,444 | 397,736,063 | Articles of apparel and clothing accessories not knitted or crocheted |
9 | 5,415,414,998 | 42,138,787 | Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories thereof |
10 | 4,450,948,324 | nil | Pharmaceutical products |
11 | 3,615,260,808 | 139,622,724 | Plastics and articles thereof |
12 | 3,446,588,010 | 34,153,904 | Furniture, bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; lamps and light fittings; illuminated signs and nameplates; prefabricated buildings |
13 | 3,135,140,133 | 2,224 | Works of art, collectors' pieces and antiques |
14 | 2,804,838,221 | 55,333,629 | Toys, games and sports requisites, parts and accessories thereof |
15 | 2,622,013,962 | 36,523,824 | Articles of iron or steel |
16 | 2,577,771,512 | 35,193,037 | Organic chemicals |
17 | 2,533,965,297 | 234,672,999 | Footwear, gaiters and the like, parts of such articles |
18 | 2,172,023,552 | 88,034,379 | Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons |
19 | 1,858,239,088 | nil | Ores, slag and ash |
20 | 1,696,793,223 | 34,745,661 | Rubber and articles thereof |
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the 2013 calendar year, what was the split of the total imports of goods from outside the European Union, between (1) industrial goods, and (2) processed and unprocessed agricultural and fish products; and what were the corresponding aggregate gross (before handling charge) values of the Common External Tariff charged by HM Revenue and Customs on (a) industrial goods, and (b) processed and unprocessed agricultural and fish products.
Answered by Lord Deighton
In 2013 total imports of goods by volume from outside the EU was split 96.6% industrial goods and 3.4% agricultural and fish products.
The split by customs duty paid was 84.3% (£2,406,874,076) for industrial goods and 15.7% (£448,545,528) for agricultural products.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the 2013 calendar year, what was the aggregate value of imports of goods from outside the European Union on which HM Revenue and Customs charged a positive Common External Tariff (CET); and what was the corresponding aggregate value of the CET so charged.
Answered by Lord Deighton
In 2013, goods subject to a positive duty charge with an aggregate value of £46,801,238,041 were imported from outside the EU. Customs duty totalling £2,855,517,901 was charged and collected on these goods.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the 2013 calendar year, what was the aggregate value of imports of goods from outside the European Union on which HM Revenue and Customs effectively charged zero Common External Tariff (CET), whether this was because the product in question was not liable to CET or because it was zero-rated.
Answered by Lord Deighton
During 2013, the aggregate value of goods imported from outside the EU on which no customs duty was charged was £216,685,828,867.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 28 July (WA 273), what is their estimate of the impact of European Union membership on United Kingdom employment.
Answered by Lord Deighton
The Government has made no assessment of the impact of European Union membership on United Kingdom employment.
As I noted in my response dated 28 July (WA 273) to Lord Grocott, the Treasury estimate that 3.3 million jobs in the UK may be related to exports to other European Union countries. This figure is based on the assumption that the share of UK employment associated with UK exports to the EU is equal to the share of output that is exported to the EU, making allowance for the composition of the UK economy.