HL Deb 08 November 1983 vol 444 c792WA
Lord O'Hagan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much the United Kingdom has received from the European Regional Development Fund in each year since British accession to the EEC; and whether such sums would continue to be paid to the United Kingdom if they no longer designated areas for regional assistance; and

How much the United Kingdom has received each year since accession from the European Regional Development Fund; and whether such sums would be granted if there were no areas in the United Kingdom appropriately designated in agreement with the institutions of the EEC.

Lord Cockfield

Since the creation of the European Regional Development Fund in 1975, the Commission has committed the following sums to the United Kingdom under the Fund:

£m
1975 39.9
1976 59.1
1977 55.3
1978 99.7
1979 162.9
1980 153.4
1981 201.6
1982 252.1
1983 (to end of July) 118.8
Further applications to the value of £168.5m have been submitted for 1983.

Under the present ERDF Regulation, member states' receipts from the fund depend, inter alia, upon the establishment of aided areas for the purpose of applying national systems of regional aid. The contribution towards United Kingdom Regional Aid from the European Regional Development Fund is one of the factors being taken into account in the current review of United Kingdom Regional Policy.