§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to obtain structural funds assistance for UK domestic routes. [20210]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 6 December 2001]: I have no such plans since the structural funds programming documents for the current period 2000–06 have all been agreed, and there is no specific provision in them for assistance for UK domestic routes.
§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what level of structural funds are available from the European Union for subsidising domestic UK flights. [20211]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 6 December 2001]: None of the structural funds programming documents for the period 2000–06 includes specific support for subsidising domestic UK flights.
§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the experience of France, Spain and Greece in gaining European structural funds for their domestic flights. [20213]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 6 December 2001]: No such assessment has been made, nor is one envisaged.
§ Mr. CarmichaelTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria have to be met by an air route in order to receive European structural funds. [20212]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 6 December 2001]Whatever its sector of activity, for a project application to be successful in gaining European structural funding, the programming document for the region concerned has to include the ability to fund such a project. The project would have to be wholly contained within the region, and score highly against the selection criteria which have been agreed for each of the sectors within the programming document.