HC Deb 08 May 1989 vol 152 cc295-6W
Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how the 1989 European social fund allocation was divided in(a) actual cash and (b) percentage terms between (i) central Government, (ii) local government, (iii) the voluntary sector and (iv) others; and what were the equivalent figures for 1987 and 1988.

Mr. Cope

[holding answer 28 April 1989]: Details of the 1987 and 1988 allocations are as follows:

1987 allocation 1988 allocation
£ million Per cent. £ million Per cent.
Central Government 323.5 74.3 263.5 65.4
Local Government 60.3 13.9 85.8 21.3
Volutary sector 16.5 3.8 23.0 5.8
Others 34.7 8.0 29.1 7.25

My Department is awaiting notification from the European Commision of the amounts allocated to individual schemes for 1989.

Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many European social fund projects submitted by the voluntary sector were given(a) full priority decisions, (b) part priority decisions, (c) no priority decisions and (d) not eligible decisions in 1987, 1988 and 1989.

Mr. Cope

[holding answer 28 April 1989]: The status given by the European Commission to projects submitted by the voluntary sector is as follows:

1987 1988 11989
Full priority 251 372 232
Part priority including partly eligible 45 87 272
No priority 21 20 70
Not eligible 33 29 75
TOTAL 350 508 649
1 Provisional.

Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many European social fund projects designed to train people in the skills required to establish new trading enterprises(a) received full priority and (b) received part priority in 1987, 1988 and 1989; and how many of these projects were devoted to training people to establish co-operatives.

Mr. Cope

[holding answer 28 April 1989]: I regret that the information can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what criteria for cost per trainee were used in judging European social fund projects submitted by the voluntary sector in 1989; whether these criteria were published before the closing date for applications; and whether the criteria were based on those set out in any European Commission decision on management of the European social fund.

Mr. Cope

[holding answer 28 April 1989]: The Commission publishes no criteria on the costs per trainee which it uses for any category of European social fund projects.