Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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250. To ask the Minister for Finance Ireland's contribution to the EU budget for 2014 and for 2015. [31304/14]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The overall amount of the EU Budget is determined, within the 7 year Multiannual Financial Framework, by  the annual budgetary negotiations between the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. The EU budget itself is mainly financed through contributions from each member state. These comprise 'traditional own resources' principally customs duties collected on behalf of the EU, a VAT- related payment under which an agreed percentage is levied on a harmonised VAT base for each member state and finally a balancing component paid according to each member state's share of EU Gross National Income (GNI). 

The most recently published figure by the European Commission for Ireland's contribution to the EU Budget in 2014 is €1,610 million.  However, our final contribution will be higher and will be affected by a number of factors including the outcome of negotiations on amending budgets and re-balancing payments in respect of economic data updates for earlier years. My Department will continue to closely monitor developments.  

With regard to 2015 the Commission, based upon its draft budget proposal for next year, calculate that Ireland will contribute €1,660 million to the EU Budget. However, our actual contribution will depend, amongst other factors, upon the size of the budget adopted for 2015 which is still under negotiation.