HC Deb 25 March 2003 vol 402 c132W
Mr. Cash

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement as to the legal basis for his policy to repatriate regional funds and policies from the EU to the UK. [104984]

Ruth Kelly

The European Community does not have exclusive competence for economic and social cohesion. As a result, under the rule of subsidiarity, the Community's actions in this area should be limited to what cannot sufficiently be achieved by the member states. The principle of subsidiarity is set out in Article 5 of the Treaty establishing the European Community. EU regional funding and policies under the EU Framework for Devolved Regional Policy as proposed in the Government's paper "A Modern Regional Policy for the United Kingdom" would have a legal base in Article 161 and other relevant articles of the same Treaty.