(2) what consideration is being given to the alignment of future EU structural funding with the Government's domestic spending priorities, and if he will make a statement;
(3) what consideration is being given to providing additional domestic resources to support the objectives of regional development through EU structural funding, and if he will make a statement.
The Government are currently considering responses to our consultation documents published on 28 February setting out an approach to the allocation of EU structural funds and potential for alignment with domestic programmes. We hope to publish our conclusions by the beginning of September.
The Government are committed to increasing the rate of growth of every region, to addressing the disparities between the nations and regions and, in England, to reducing the persistent gap in growth rates between regions. To this end, they are already providing significant resources to support regional economic development, including £2.2 billion annually for the Regional Development Agencies.