HC Deb 09 November 1992 vol 213 c604W
Mr. Denham

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to support the proposal of the European Commission to establish a special fund to alleviate the problems that will be faced by employees of customs brokers following the completion of the European single market on 1 January 1993.

Mr. Sainsbury

[holding answer 5 November 1992]: The Government have serious reservations about the Commission's proposals. It would appear to duplicate assistance available from the EC structural funds: particularly under the cross-border Community initiative INTERREG—in Kent and Northern Ireland—and from January 1993, when assistance under objective 3 of the structural funds will be made available to all redundant customs agents, from the European social fund.