§ 38. Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the outcome of his representations to the European Commission on the eligibility of the ports of Cairnryan and Stranraer for assistance under various EC initiatives.
Lord James Douglas HamiltonI expect that projects to develop facilities and access at the ports of Stranraer and Cairnryan will be eligible to compete for a share of the 47 million ecu to be made available to Dumfries and Galloway under objective 5b of the structural funds over the period 1994 to 1999. This follows the Government's success in securing objective 5b status for the region. The Commission have decided that the two ports will not be eligible to receive assistance under the INTERREG community initiative.