§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what steps his Department is taking to provide advice and support to local authorities in preparing bids for objective 5b grant;
(2) in which part of his Department objective 5b bids are handled.
§ Mr. BaldryApplications for funding under objective 5b of the European structural funds will be handled by secretariats located at the appropriate Government office in each region.
Local authorities and other potential applicants to use objective 5b funding may obtain advice and guidance from the appropriate regional office. The European Commission is currently considering proposals for the use of the funds in each of the eligible areas, which have been prepared by the Government offices in consultation with local partnerships including the local authorities. When agreed by the European Commission, these single programming documents will provide the framework within which decisions on project applications will be made, and further guidance will be made available to interested organisations.