HC Deb 16 April 1999 vol 329 cc366-7W
Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 31 March 1999,Official Report, column 803, on structural funds, when he expects to be able to indicate what the EU structural fund allocation to the United Kingdom will be in each of the years 2000 to 2004. [80593]

Mr. Wills

[holding answer 13 April 1999]: Following the agreement at the Berlin European Council, the Commission have yet to indicate when they will be able to inform Member States of what their individual EU Structural Fund allocation will be for the years 2000 to 2006. Until that time, the Government are not in a position to say how much the UK will receive.

Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what will be the allocation for(a) structural funds and (b) cohesion funds in the EU in 2000 expressed in 1999 prices; and what percentage of EU-15 GDP in 2000 this will represent. [80590]

Mr. Wills

[holding answer 13 April 1999]: At Berlin, it was concluded that the total amount available for commitments under the Structural Funds for the year 2000 will be 29,430 million euros (1999 prices), and for the Cohesion Fund it will be 2,615 million euros (1999 prices). This equates to about 0.4 per cent. of EU-15 GDP in the year 2000.

Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 31 March 1999,Official Report, column 803, on EU structural funds if he will express the sum of 11,990 million euro in sterling, indicating the rates of exchange used. [80591]

Mr. Byers

11,990 million euro equates to £8,790 million using an £/euro exchange rate of £1 1.364 euro (the average rate from 1995 to date).