§ Lord Inglewoodasked Her Majesty's Government:
Following the decisions reached at the Berlin European Council, how much of the existing Objective 2 and 5b areas in England will lose their designation; and how much of that will be in the North West Region. [HL2387]
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Simon of Highbury)The population coverage for Objective 2 within the UK will be determined by a safety net which restricts any loss to one-third of existing Objective 2 and 5b population coverage. In the UK some 13.5 million people will be covered. Existing Objective 2 and 5b areas that lose their designation will benefit from transitional funding for up to six years.
The Government are presently consulting interested parties on the designation of eligible areas under Objective 2. The final date for comments is 25 May. All areas will be considered for inclusion equally on the basis of need and against common and consistent criteria, even if no specific representations are made.