§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that the recent grant of £45 million from the European Regional Development Fund for projects in Northern Ireland results in additional government expenditure there, particularly on replacing Divis Flats or on the Belfast cross-city rail link.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Lyell)The availability of receipts from the European Community is taken into account in the Government's annual decisions on its public expenditure allocations. This enables public expenditure programmes, including the Northern Ireland programme, to be set at levels higher than would otherwise be possible. While the EC receipts do therefore represent additional resources, it is not possible to specify which projects proceed because of their availability.