Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 30 Jan 1985

Vol. 355 No. 5

Written Answers. - European Community.

373.

Mr. Durkan

asked the Minister for Finance the total amount of financial aid received by this country, from the EC by way of (a) loans, (b) grants and (c) subsidies in respect of exports to third countries for each year for which there are figures available since Ireland's accession to the EC: and if he will give a breakdown of aid received under each heading i.e. social fund, regional fund and so on.

Minister for Finance (Mr. Dukes)

The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following tables. In respect of 1984 the information may be subject to minor revision later; definitive figures will be published in due course in Annex II of the Twenty-Fifth Report to the Houses of the Oireachtas on Developments in the European Communities.

The subsidies in respect of exports to third countries referred to by the Deputy are shown separately in Table B.

Table A: Loans from Community Sources drawn down by Ireland, 1973-1984

	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m
European Investment Bank	11.1	24.8	22.0	35.4	52.1	78.5	168.1	224.7	225.1	224.4	168.5	90.0
ECSC	0.2	—	1.2	—	0.1	—	17.5	3.1	7.8	0.2	0.03	0.09
New Community Instrument	—	—	—	—	—	—	58.0	28.1	11.9	57.3	49.7	36.0
Community “oil” facility	—	—	—	156.0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Total	11.3	24.8	23.2	191.4	52.2	78.5	243.6	255.9	244.8	281.9	218.23	126.09

Table B: Ireland's Receipts by way of Grants and Subsidies from EEC Budget, 1973-1984

	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m
FEOGA-Guarantee Section	37.1	63.8	102.2	102.0	245.1	365.6	396.5	381.1	304.6	344.3	436.7	649.4
of which export refunds	10.8	7.3	16.9	41.9	89.6	119.4	181.6	227.9	210.3	207.4	249.0	324.31
FEOGA-Guidance Section	—	—	0.6	2.6	7.3	9.7	18.5	27.8	41.9	59.6	75.7	48.8
European Social Fund	—	3.6	4.0	4.6	8.2	19.3	28.8	46.7	45.3	73.2	92.7	84.3
European Regional Development Fund	—	—	1.8	8.5	8.5	11.1	25.5	46.4	54.6	66.1	58.2	65.3
EMS Interest Subsidies	—	—	—	—	—	—	44.5	45.5	46.0	50.1	43.6	—
Research and Investment Projects						0.48	0.77	0.28	0.7	0.2	1.1	3.0
Projects in the Energy Sector	—	—	0.3	0.4	1.0	0.15	1.27	1.54	1.7	1.0	0.5
Miscellaneous						0.13	0.32	0.68	0.4	0.3	0.5
Total	37.1	67.4	108.9	118.1	270.1	406.46	516.16	550.0	495.2	594.8	709.0	850.8

Estimated only at this stage.

374.

Mr. Durkan

asked the Minister for Finance the total financial contributions made by Ireland to the EC for each year for which there are figures available since Ireland's accession to the Community.

Minister for Finance (Mr. Dukes)

The total financial contributions made by Ireland to the EC since its accession in 1973 are as follows:

1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978
IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m
4.5	5.5	9.8	13.4	22.1	46.1
1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984
IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m	IR£m
60.6	88.9	105.4	136.7	184.7	208.2

Under the European Communities (Supplementary Funding) Act, 1984, a reimbursable advance of IR£6.2 million was paid to the EC in December to help meet its financing requirements for 1984. The figure for 1984 in the above table is exclusive of this amount.

375.

Mr. Durkan

asked the Minister for Finance if he will illustrate in financial terms the net loss or gain that would accrue to Ireland should this country leave the Community or become an associate member.

Minister for Finance (Mr. Dukes)

To attempt a comprehensive quantification of the scope and nature requested by the Deputy would require the application of resources of time and manpower which would be totally disproportionate to any possible benefits which might accrue from such an exercise.

I have already answered a question posed by the Deputy on the subject of financial transfers from the European Economic Community, and the significance of these data is self evident. However, these financial transfers, while impressive, represent only part of the financial benefits to Ireland. Account must also be taken of the very advantageous effect of EC membership on the development of our exports and on the attraction of foreign investment to Ireland.

In short, therefore, a wholly accurate response to the Deputy's question is virtually impossible, while an approximation could only be attempted in the context of a major research exercise. All one can say in the absence of such an exercise is that, generally speaking, a unilateral withdrawal from the European Economic Community on the part of Ireland at the present time would in all probability have the most serious consequences for the country and for its economy.