§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has decided which non-objective 1 areas in England should be included under the European structural funds Urban initiative; and if he will make a statement. [17716]
§ Mr. GummerI have today presented the European Commission with the Government's decision on the six non-objective 1 areas in England to receive £37 million under the Urban initiative.
644WIn reducing the 11 areas originally proposed to the European Commission, to meet their overall limits on the size of the initiative, a number of considerations have been taken into account. Urban Regeneration Minister David Curry and Sir Paul Beresford have received presentations from the eleven areas, and on the basis of area need, written proposals, ability to provide jobs and business opportunities and use the funds effectively to deliver lasting results, the following areas have been selected: Birmingham, London (Park Royal), Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and London (Hackney/Tower Hamlets).
This was a difficult decision to make as all the 11 areas had strong cases and I regret that we could only choose 6 areas for inclusion. The quality of work done in all the areas was excellent. I well understand the disappointment of those areas that were not able to have a place on the programme. I am grateful to all those who put so much effort into the selection process for their areas, and I am sure that the experience will be useful in taking advantage of any other suitable initiatives in the future.
We look forward now to making good progress in negotiations with the Commission.