§ Mr. BlairTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if his Department has any plans to fund the European information centres when European Commission funding is terminated in June 1990.
§ Mr. EggarNo. A network of European information centres is being set up by the European Commission. The Commission provides an initial financial contribution on the understanding that the centres will be financially independent after three years. The first four centres in the United Kingdom were established in 1987; a further 16 were approved in October 1989 and will be operational by April this year. All the centres chosen by the Commission were already involved in related activities.
The centres provide information to businesses on European matters, particularly issues concerning the single European market. They receive all the relevant EC documentation, have direct computer-linked access to Brussels for answers to specific queries and are able to signpost inquirers to both the United Kingdom and EC single market specialists.