§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in what circumstances EC funds can be sought to meet the cost of bringing a private road up to a standard where it can be adopted by the roads authority.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 9 February 1993]: The normal method of attracting EC funding for a road project would be through the European 859W regional development fund. To qualify, the project would have to be in an eligible area and be carried out by a public body. In Scotland, the areas eligible for ERDF are parts of Galloway, Lothian except Edinburgh city, parts of Central, Fife and Tayside regions, and all of Strathclyde and Highlands and Islands regions.
In the majority of circumstances roads projects can be funded by ERDF only if they make a direct contribution to the creation and maintenance of employment, economic development, and productive investment. They must also be essential to the efficient movement of industrial, commercial, or tourist traffic. I am unaware of any other EC funds which might be available for the stated purpose.