THE UK Government’s new Internal Market Bill will allow Westminster to allocate funds previously handed out by the EU.

The Scottish Government has argued these funds should now be administered by Holyrood. If the UK Government doles out the cash, the Scottish Parliament’s wishes can be overruled.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has warned that this could mean a Boris bridge being built to Northern Ireland instead of investment in schools and hospitals. It could also lead to opposition politicians maintaining that Scotland is dependent on the benevolence of Westminster to survive.

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Since 1975, Scotland has been a major beneficiary of the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) with an estimated investment of £4bn between 1975 and 2006, and a further £820m for the period 2007-2013.

Under the current 2014-2020 programme, Scotland has benefited from over £780m through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

Examples of projects include:

  • The Western Isles Spinal Route (1994-2013). Over almost 20 years between 1994 and 2013, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar received £19.3m in ERDF-allocated grants to develop road infrastructure on and between the islands. The spinal route was completed piece-by-piece thanks to European funding, resulting in significant transport improvements, such as the Scalpay Bridge in 1997.
  • As the Highlands and Islands is a Transition Area, the University of the Highland and Islands (UHI) and colleges have benefitted enormously from ESF/ERDF support, gaining approximately £39.4m between 1994 and 2013.
  • The Clyde Gateway regeneration programme received £12.3m in ERDF grant support between 2007-2013.
  • The University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre received £3.8m in ERDF grant support. The centre allows academia and industry to collaborate and innovate together, within a new specifically designed state-of the art building in Glasgow city centre.
  • The Low Carbon Travel and Transport Programme has been supported by £22.3m from the ERDF to increase the number of journeys made by public transport, low-energy vehicles, on foot and by bike.
  • A further £61m in ESF-allocated support (with a total project cost of £139m) has been allocated to Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council as part of the overall Developing Scotland’s Workforce programme.

This programme is currently creating new learning places for skills development, providing training courses for careers in Scotland’s growth sectors, developing a curriculum to address skills gaps and offer new ways of learning, expanding Scotland’s Modern Apprenticeship programme.