§ 14. Mr. RichardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the failure of parts of Colwyn borough to get approval for objective 5(b) status under the EU structural funds.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsI am disappointed that we secured a smaller than hoped for objective 5(b) coverage for Clwyd in spite of a long and hard struggle with the Commission. At a very late stage the Commission insisted on changes to the population basis on which the discussions were being conducted. As a result, reductions had to be made to the United Kingdom's proposals. Within Wales, Colwyn was considered by the Commission to present the weakest case for objective 5(b) status.