EU Funding (Rotherham and Barnsley)

Steve Rotheram Excerpts

Monday 1st July 2013 Commons Chamber

[John Healey]

My hon. Friend is right to voice the view from the chairman of a local enterprise partnership, which has been echoed by the Liverpool City Region’s LEP. Both are concerned that the potential for boosting our economies will be lost in Barnsley and Rotherham, as in our other two city regions.

[Steve Rotheram (Liverpool, Walton) (Lab)]

In his usual eloquent manner, my right hon. Friend makes a good point about the unfairness. Can he see any rationale to justify how the Government have gone about allocating this European funding?

--- Later in debate ---

[Michael Fallon]

I certainly was not, Mr Speaker. I just wanted to make it absolutely clear that in each of the past three years the allocation has been €20 million and for each of the next seven years it will be €23 million. I cannot call that a cut, and if other colleagues can, I am extremely puzzled.

[Steve Rotheram]

I thank the Minister for giving way, but I thought the preamble to his speech seemed like it had been written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn; it was certainly like something out of “Yes Minister”. He spoke earlier about fairness and criticised my hon. Friend the Member for St Helens North (Mr Watts) for the comparison he made. If Cheshire is getting more than Merseyside, can the Minister explain the rationale for that?

[Michael Fallon]

Let me be clear: overall, Cheshire is not getting more than Merseyside. The issue for Merseyside is very simple, as it is for South Yorkshire. I cannot justify to the House why either South Yorkshire or Merseyside should get more than the Tees Valley, Durham or Lincolnshire, which are poorer regions.