§ Mr. SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek European regional development fund assistance for rural areas, as proposed in the European Commission's framework proposal on the reform of the Community Structural Fund (Cmnd. (87)376).
§ Mr. Alan ClarkI have been asked to reply.
The Commission's proposal for a framework regulation is currently the subject of detailed examination and debate. Proposals for implementing regulations including that for ERDF have yet to be made, and overall implementation is in any event not proposed before 1989. Until then, the current ERDF regulation remains in force and applications for assistance for rural areas will continue to be submitted within the terms of that regulation.