§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if Her Majesty's Government will make representations to the European Commission as to the peripherality and extreme rurality of Mid Wales, so as to reinforce the case for continued European regional development fund funding for Mid Wales; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if Her Majesty's Government have made representations to the European Commission to ensure that the forthcoming reforms of the European Community's structural funds will not result in the exclusion of Mid Wales from access to the funds; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Peter WalkerDiscussions continue — on the basis of draft Commission proposals — but on the key objectives which will underpin the future operation of the EC structural funds and on the criteria for defining those areas which may, in the longer term, be eligible for assistance. My Department is fully involved in such discussions and I have already made, in the course of them, representations to the Commission regarding the continued inclusion of Mid-Wales for European regional development fund purposes. Final decisions on the review will be a matter for the Council but I have naturally a very strong interest in seeking to ensure that structural fund assistance is retained in all those parts of Wales where the funds have a continuing role to play in structural re-adjustment.