§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will advertise for a private sector applicant for the post of head of the objective 1 executive for Merseyside.
§ Mr. BaldryNo.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how much will be received under the objective 1 funding from the European Community; how much private funding he expects to lever into Merseyside; and what structure will be used to ensure the benefits to the region from this process will be maximised.
§ Mr. BaldryThe amount allocated to the objective 1 programme is 816 mecu over six years; as with other programmes of public expenditure, there is a clear intention to maximise leverage of private sector investment but it is difficult to forecast this in advance; the overall strategy for the objective 1 programme and the criteria which will be used for the selection of projects will be set by the monitoring committee.