Delays Over Rechar Funding

EDM number 607 in 1992-93, proposed by John Heppell on 20/10/1992.

That this House deplores the fact that this Government has yet to redistribute monies given to it by the European Community to help regenerate the former coalfield areas of the United Kingdom over six months after the settling of the dispute over additionality; notes that a total amount of ú38 million is currently being withheld from the coalfied areas due to a dispute between the Treasury and the DTI; believes that, unless the Government swiftly hands over the allocated monies to the RECHAR programme projects, a further sum of ú86 million allocated under the programme to British projects may be lost due to the fact that the current RECHAR programme comes to an end in December 1993; further believes that the scandalous withholding of RECHAR project monies granted by Europe to regional projects is a blatant example of the scant regard which Government has for the nations and regions of the United Kingdom; also believes that the actions of the United Kingdom Government in this charade proves beyond doubt the need for national and regional self-government within the United Kingdom; calls on the Government to immediately hand over the amount due to the coalfields communities so that work can be undertaken immediately to secure the remaining ú86 million; and further calls on the Government to pay the total amount of interest accrued on the ú38 million during the last six months to the coalfield communities as a means of apologising for this unacceptable delay.

This motion has been signed by a total of 48 MPs.