§ Mr. WattsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the Government's strategy for maintaining the maximum number of objective 1 and 2 assisted areas in the United Kingdom after 1999. [15030]
§ Mrs. RocheI have been asked to reply.
The European Commission published its suggestions for the future of the Structural and Cohesion Funds on 16 July as part of its communication "Agenda 2000". In discussions with the Commission and other Member States, the Government are pressing for future arrangements which are affordable, durable and fair to the United Kingdom as well as to other Member States.