HC Deb 26 April 1999 vol 330 cc63-4W
Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the assisted areas map was submitted to the European Commission; and if he will make a statement. [80589]

Mr. Wills

[holding answer 13 April 1999]: Further to the reply I gave the hon. Member and the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr. Sanders) on 16 April 1999, Official Report, column 367, proposals for the assisted areas map have not yet been sent to the Commission. The Government are considering the proposals they will make. They will submit these as soon as it is ready to do so.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the results of his Department's August 1998 consultation exercise on the criteria to be applied in the designation of Objective 2 areas. [81914]

Mr. Wills

As part of the on-going consultation process throughout the Structural Fund negotiations, the Government asked regions and local areas informally, in July 1998, for an indication of their priorities for Objective 2 eligibility. Over fifty local and regional partnership organisations provided information, as well as national bodies and interested Departments.

Two broad conclusions emerged from the responses to the consultation exercise. First, for areas of real need to be targeted, the provisions covering Objective 2 in the Structural Funds regulation must be sufficiently flexible to encompass a wide variety of circumstances. Secondly, there was a degree of similarity in the broad priorities put forward, including employment and labour market measures, the degree of social cohesion, geographical issues, and measures of poverty.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what means he plans to achieve a target population in compliance with the four strands within Objective 2. [81918]

Mr. Wills

The UK population for Objective 2 is set by the safety net which maintains two-thirds of the existing Objective 2 and 5b coverage. Within the safety net, the Government will seek to target Objective 2 on the basis of need.

A maximum of 18 per cent. of the European Union's population will be covered by the new Objective 2. The breakdown by strand for Objective 2 of 10 per cent. to industrial areas, 5 per cent. to rural, 2 per cent. to urban and 1 per cent. to fisheries is indicative at EU level, not Member State level.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons the consultation paper issued by his Department on 30 March, on the criteria to be applied in the designation of Objective 2 areas, asks the same questions as the consultation exercise in August 1998. [81919]

Mr. Wills

The informal consultation launched in July 1998 was to gain local and regional views to assist the Government in developing their policy for negotiations for Objective 2 funding.

The consultation paper issued on the 30 March seeks views from interested parties on the designation of eligible UK areas under Objective 2. These should include comments on the geographical area; the NUTS level; and the criteria that might be used. This consultation is to assist the Government in determining a list of eligible areas for objective 2 funding post—1999.

Miss McIntosh

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will list the areas submitted to the EU Commission at the end of March for consideration as assisted areas;[81917]

(2) what differences there will be between the Assisted Areas map and the Objective 2 map in the UK for 1999 to 2004. [81916]

Mr. Wills

Proposals for the Assisted Areas map have not yet been sent to the Commission. The Government are considering the proposals they will make. They will submit these as soon as it is ready to do so.

A consultation paper on the review of the Structural Funds was issued on 30 March, seeking views from interested parties on the designation of eligible UK areas under Objective 2. The final date for comments is 25 May. Ministers will then have to decide on the proposed areas to be submitted to the Commission. Until this time we are not in a position to say what the final Objective 2 Structural Funds map will be, and therefore what differences there will be between the Assisted Areas and Objective 2 maps.