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Mr. Gill
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what transitional support will be available to rural areas upon losing Objective 5b status. [67120]
Mr. Wills
The Commission have proposed transitional periods of four years for areas losing Objective 2 and 5b funding. Current Objective 5b covers rural areas. The Government are pressing for equal transitional periods of six years for ex-Objective 2 and 5b areas as for Objective 1. The transitional arrangements for regions losing Objective 5b status will not be known until the new Structural Funds regulations are agreed.