Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Eric Forth (Conservative). It was answered on Tuesday, 1 November 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

EU Rebate

Question: Will the Foreign Secretary tell us whether the rebate is non-negotiable in those terms? Alternatively, will he reassure the House and the people of this country that if there is no reform of the CAP, there is no question of renegotiating the British rebate? Will he please answer those questions unequivocally?

Answer: What I can tell the House unequivocally is that, as my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, North (Mr. Henderson) has said, the rebate is currently fully justified. We are seeking a fairer system of funding, and if the reason for the rebate—the unfairness over time of the CAP—were to fall away, the case for the abatement would fall away. However, I will not anticipate the consequence of the discussions that will take place over the next two months.

Secondary information