§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Prime Minister which Minister is leading on the revision of EU regional policy post-2006; if he will place in the Library a statement on 785W the Cabinet Committee arrangements to deal with this issue; and if he will make a statement of the Government's policy. [103417]
§ The Prime MinisterThe Secretary of State for Trade and Industry leads on EU Structural Funds. The Deputy Prime Minister is responsible for policy on the English regions, as well as central oversight of devolution. The Chancellor of the Exchequer is responsible for matters concerning the EC budget and the European Investment Bank. All three Ministers share responsibility for the PSA target on improving the economic performance of the English Regions.
The European Policy (EP) Committee is the Cabinet committee responsible for the issue. Details on the composition of the Committee are in the Libraries of the House and are published on the Cabinet Office website.
The Deputy Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published a paper on 6 March entitled `A Modern Regional Policy for the United Kingdom', which launched a joint consultation on the future of EU Structural Funds.