§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he plans to transfer responsibility for payments and financial management of European social funds to the National Assembly for Wales as part of the regionalisation programme for the European Social Fund; and if he will make a statement. [87995]
§ Mr. Andrew SmithMy right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Wales wrote to me on 23 February 1999 accepting in principle responsibility for these payments and the financial management of the Welsh European Social Fund Programmes from the start of the new period in January 2000.