The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Ivan Lewis) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

The Statement on the 2005 Budget of the European Communities (EC Budget), entitled European Community Finances (Cm 6580), has today been laid before Parliament. This White Paper is the 25th in the series. As in the past, it covers annual budgetary matters and includes details of recent developments in European Community financial management and in countering fraud against the EC Budget. It also describes the EC Budget for 2005 as adopted by the European Parliament, and details the United Kingdom's gross and net contributions to the EC Budget for calendar years 1999 to 2005 and financial years 1999–2000 to 2007–08.