HC Deb 13 January 1997 vol 288 c151W
Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the recent interim ruling by the European Court of Justice in respect of measures concerning poverty and the elderly. [9992]

Mr. Heald

The Government welcome the Court's interim ruling on 24 September 1996. The Court held that no payments of grants to projects should be made until the Court's final decision and that the Commission must make it clear that any commitments it enters into to make grants will be subject to the Court upholding the legality of payment in the main proceedings. The final ruling is not expected until later this year at the earliest.