HC Deb 22 June 1999 vol 333 c315W
Mr. Fabian Hamilton

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to negotiate a share of the EU population coverage under the urban strand of Objective 2 of the EU Structural Funds for the United Kingdom which reflects the degree of urbanisation in the United Kingdom. [87786]

Mr. Wills

A maximum of 18 per cent. of the European Union's population will be covered by the new Objective 2. The suggested breakdown by strand for Objective 2 of 10 per cent. to industrial areas, 5 per cent. to rural, 2 per cent. to urban and 1 per cent. to fisheries is purely indicative across the EU.

The UK's overall population coverage under Objective 2 is defined by the safety net which limits the reduction in coverage to one-third of the existing Objective 2 and 5b population.

Mr. Fabian Hamilton

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that areas designated in the United Kingdom under the urban strand of Objective 2 of the Structural Funds will be densely populated areas made up of contiguous units with a minimum population of 100,000. [87787]

Mr. Wills

The public consultation on the determining UK areas for Objective 2 eligibility ended on 25 May. The Government are carefully considering all the submissions received and the eligibility criteria suggested.

Before the UK propose their Objective 2 areas to the Commission, the Government will define, through discussions with the Commission, the geographical unit to be used to express urban areas within the UK.