§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list those applicants which his Department has submitted or is planning to submit for funding under the Konver programme.
§ Mr. Sainsbury[holding answer 13 July 1993]: The Konver scheme has not yet progressed so far. European Community procedures for such schemes require general national programmes to be written and approved before individual applications can be considered.
The European Commission has asked for proposed national programmes for Konver—not individual applications—to be sent to it by 31 August. Individual United Kingdom applications will be considered as soon as possible after the Commission has agreed the United Kingdom's Konver programme; I hope that that will be early in the autumn.
Meanwhile, in order that the scheme may proceed in the United Kingdom as soon as possible after the Brussels procedures have been completed, the Government will invite draft applications in August, following completion of the consultation process now being undertaken by my Department.