§ Mr. MacShaneTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for allocation of funds from the EU's Resider II programme to United Kingdom steel regions, following his Department's announcement of the UK's share of the EU industrial regeneration funds; and if he will make a statement. [40834]
§ Mr. EggarThe European Commission's proposals of 4 October for the use of the European structural funds community initiatives reserve include an extra 60 mecu for the United Kingdom, and Gibraltar, for Konver, Resider, Rechar and Retex together.
In accordance with articles 11 and 29a of Council regulations 4253/88, as amended by Council regulation 2082/93, the Commission's proposals and draft guidelines for the use of the reserve are to be submitted to the management committee for Community initiatives for an opinion, and for information to the European Parliament; and may then be amended. Only after that will member states be invited by the Commission to send applications 445W for assistance. At that stage, which is unlikely to be reached for some months, the Government will decide how they propose to use whatever definitive allocations to the UK have been decided.