§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of EC regional development funding received by the United Kingdom has been spent within the United Kingdom assisted areas(a) in each year since 1984 and (b) in total since 1984.
§ Mr. SainsburyFrom 1984 to 1989 the European regional development fund—ERDF—grants were payable only in Northern Ireland, the assisted areas of Great Britain, and the remainder of the Highlands and Islands Development Board and the Development Board of Rural Wales areas. Figures for the latter areas are not readily available, but would have comprised only a very small proportion of the United Kingdom's total allocation.
From 1989, eligibility for the ERDF has, with minor exceptions, been determined according to eligibility for objectives 1, 2 and 5b of the reformed structural funds. The great majority of the ERDF allocations resulting from these objectives go to Northern Ireland and the assisted areas, but figures on the exact proportion could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.