§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will recommend to the European Commission that Cornwall should be designated as a separate NUTS 2 region. [5428]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 1 July 1997]: The Government Statistical Service is this week sending its proposals for the UK's NUTS structure to Eurostat (the European Commission's statistical office). A copy of the full set of proposals will he placed in the Library of the House. The Government Statistical Service's proposals include, amongst others, the suggestion that Cornwall should be a separate NUTS level 2 area.
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§ Mr. GeorgeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many NUTS 2 level regions she will recommend to the European Commission in the present round of negotiations for EU structural funds; [5429]
(2) what efforts she will make to secure Objective 1 status for Cornwall. [5430]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answers 1 July 1997]: Eligible areas for the European Structural Funds will not change before the end of 1999. For the period from 2000 onwards, the areas eligible under Objective 1 and the other Objectives depend on Commission proposals for future financing of the EU and for reform of the Structural Funds. These may lead to substantial changes to the current structure, including the system of Objectives. Once the Commission has put forward proposals for reform of the Structural Funds and these have been negotiated and agreed, the Government will then consider proposing particular areas within the United Kingdom.