§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what studies have been commissioned, and230W what legislation is under consideration, by the European Commission concerning (a) social cohesion and social exclusion and (b) regional cohesion in respect of the information society; and if she will make a statement. [10199]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 22 July 1997]: Details of the European Commission's activities in these areas are set out in the Commission's Communications COM(96) 607 final "Europe at the Forefront of the Information Society: Rolling Action Plan", and COM (97) 7 final "Cohesion and the Information Society", as well as in its Green Paper COM(96) 389 final "Living and Working in the Information Society: People First", all of which have been placed in the Library of the House.
The Commission's High Level Expert Group on the Social and Societal Aspects of the Information Society has recently presented a report to the Commission entitled "Building a European Information Society for us all".
Before 1999, the Commission will propose revised regulations or amendments to regulations for structural and cohesion funds. Elements of the structural funds are used to support projects related to the information society.