§ Mr. AltonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has made to have Merseyside included in objective 1 status by the European Community; what estimates he has made of assistance towards infrastructure, industrial development and training that such status would confer on Merseyside; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SainsburyI refer the hon. Member to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Falmouth and Camborne (Mr. Coe) on 17 February 1993,Official Report, column 269. It is too early to estimate the amount of financial assistance which objective 1 status would confer on Merseyside. This would depend on the Council's decisions on the extent of objective 1 regions elsewhere and on the criteria for the distribution of the funds between objective 1 regions. The Council will not decide which areas will become eligible for several months.