§ Mr. Peter Bottomleyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take an initiative to amend the regulation of the European social fund which specifies that projects should be financed by public funds in order to qualify for the social fund assistance.
§ Mr. Jim LesterNo. The requirement for a matching contribution from a public authority towards projects for which436W social fund assistance is sought is accepted by the Governments of the member States. It is seen as some guarantee of the viability of the applicants and the usefulness of the activities for which assistance is sought. If this requirement were to be modified or abolished the Community's taxpayers would not have a firm asurance that their money was being directed to the most appropriate ends.