HL Deb 22 January 2002 vol 630 cc200-1WA
Lord Fearn

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When Objective 1 funding ends in Merseyside; and what similar funding, if any, will follow. [HL2371]

Lord Falconer of Thoroton

The current Objective 1 programme in Merseyside will finish on 31 December 2006, although beneficiaries will have a further two years to spend the funds.

The UK has called for a fundamental review of what the funds are seeking to achieve, how effective they have been and what sort of interventions would best serve an enlarged EU, respecting the principle of subsidiarity. Formal Commission proposals for the future of the funds are expected in 2004 and the UK and other member states will be making input to the development of these proposals in the intervening period. It is therefore too early to say what funding might follow Objective 1 in Merseyside.