§ Mr. AshtonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what considerations led to the revoking of objective 2 status for the travel-to-work areas of Bassetlaw, Nottingham, covering the Retford and Fairborough areas; and what alternative assistance from Community institutions is available to these areas.
§ Mr. Sainsbury[holding answer 31 January 1994]: From Nottinghamshire, the Government proposed to the Commission that the whole of Retford, Alfreton and Ashfield, Gainsborough, Mansfield and Worksop travel-to work areas should retain their eligibility for objective 2 grants from the European structural funds. In addition, the Government proposed that most of the Nottingham travel-to-work area, some of which had previously been eligible, should be eligible. As a result of the final decision on eligibility, taken by the European Commission on 20 January, only Mansfield and Worksop travel-to-work areas have retained eligibility.
Within the structural funds, the areas to which the hon. Gentleman refers remain eligible for objective 3 grants. They may also be able to benefit from future community initiatives, although decisions on these have yet to be taken by the Commission.