HC Deb 07 February 1980 vol 978 cc334-6W
Mr. Frank R. White

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what aid, and under which headings, has been received from the European Community in each year since 1973 for environmental projects in each of the separate regions of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Heseltine

Certain projects in England under the environmental services programme receive grant-aid from the European regional development fund (ERDF) and the projects include water and sewerage, land drainage, local authority and new town industrial estates, waste disposal facilities, local authority tourist projects and inland waterways in the assisted areas.

The fund started operations in 1975. The European Commission agrees in principle to pay grant on specific projects; grant payments are made as the projects are implemented. The relevant information is given in the attached table.

Projects of this description in the rest of the United Kingdom are the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

(a) ERDF Grant Commitment (£ million)—Environmental Services (England
Region
Year North North West Yorks & Humber West Midlands East Midlands South West Total
1975 … … … 2.650 1.383 0.171 0.011 0.044 0.076 4.335
1976 … … … 4.987 1.545 0.497 0.003 0.183 0.273 7.488
1977 … … … 7.138 1.479 0.885 — 0.329 0.164 9.995
1978 … … … 7.891 1.986 1.993 — 0.179 0.223 12.272
1979 … … … 12.047 5.951 3.869 — — 7.620 29.487
TOTAL 34.713 12.344 7.415 0.014 0.735 8.356 63.577
(b) Payments received
No disaggregation of payments is available on a regional basis but the total figures for all the English Assisted Areas for financial years to 1978/79 are:
(£ million)
1975/76 … … —
1976/77 … … 7.7
1977/78 … … 7.1
1978/79 … … 9.8
Total 24.6