§ Mr. AltonTo ask Secretary of State for the Environment if he will report on the stage the 1994 objective 1 bid of Liverpool chamber of commerce and industry has reached; and if he will ensure that the telematics service is implemented as quickly as possible. [36099]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordFive projects form Liverpool chamber of commerce were approved in principle last October. Four have received offers of grant and have been completed or are in the progress. Offer letters can only be issued when all requirements for award of grant have been fulfilled. The Government office is working with the Liverpool Chamber to progress the fifth project which concerns a telematics service.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many 1994 objective 1 bids were successful; how many received some or all of the cash they were granted; how many have received no funding; what factors underlie failure to collect funding; and if he will make a statement. [36098]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordA total of 797 projects were approved in principle. Grant payments have been made for 699 projects. More than 70 projects have yet to claim and a small number are with the Government office for processing.
There are a number of factors which can affect the draw down of grant aid. For the European social fund, grant payments are made in three stages. The overwhelming majority of stage 1 and 2 claims have been paid. In a small number of cases inaccuracies in the paperwork have 1420W resulted in delay. Final claims are not due to be paid until September. For the European regional development fund, project sponsors must incur expenditure before claims for grant payment can be submitted and the spend profile of a project can span a number of years.