OBJECTIVE 1 FUNDING FOR WEST WALES AND THE VALLEYS

Motion Text

That this House notes that the latest gross domestic product figures place West Wales and the Valleys at 73.8 per cent. of the EU 25 average; further notes that West Wales and the Valleys is poorer than former areas of the Soviet Bloc such as Slovenia and that the region qualifies for a further round of structural funding which could be worth £3 billion between 2007 and 2013; believes that the Government is attempting to scrap structural funding for the old EU 15 member states; further notes that under New Labour regional wealth inequalities have soared in the UK; believes that structural funds are an invaluable redistributive tool and should be available to all parts of the EU; and calls on the Government to change its position and to ensure that West Wales and the Valleys get the European funding to which they are entitled.