European Structural Funding

Answer: In terms of reconciling end-of-period accounts, there are ongoing discussions about the audit process. I have had meetings with the European Commissioner, not only on how to ensure that some of the issues with past accounts are resolved as quickly as possible but—looking to the future and the new money that will come into the region in the current spending period, up to 2013—on putting in place a fair audit system that is easily understood by all involved.

This is an answer to the Oral question asked on Thursday, 29 October 2009 by Robert Goodwill (Conservative).

Question: The Government have recently been fined a record £285 million in financial penalties by the European Union because of a failure to follow procurement rules, and a lack of supporting documentation to account for expenditure from the European regional development fund. Given that the ERDF’s primary purpose is to provide funding to boost economic development in places such as Scarborough, does the Minister regret that significant amounts of funding for such areas have been lost due to administrative incompetence?

Secondary information