Information communicated by Member States regarding state aid granted under Commission Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty to training aid (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2004-03-20
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: State aid, United Kingdom, aid to undertakings, control of State aid, vocational training

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70/17

Information communicated by Member States regarding state aid granted under Commission
Regulation (EC) No 68/2001 of 12 January 2001 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the
EC Treaty to training aid

(2004/C 70/05)

(Text with EEA relevance)

Aid No: XT 7/03

Date of implementation: 1 April 2003

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Northern Ireland

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: 1 April 2003
to 31 March 2006

Objective of aid:

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an
individual aid: Challenge programmes for farmers and growers

Legal basis:

— Agriculture Act 1949

— To

develop

deliver
programmes to all sectors of the agri-food industry

lifelong-learning Challenge

and

— To ensure 1 300 people have completed or are partici-

pating in Challenge programmes by March 2006

— Agriculture

(Miscellaneous

Provisions) Act

(Northern

Ireland) 1970

— To encourage and enable participants to take informed
decisions about the future of their businesses based on
objective information.

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company:

— The programme will be targeted at

farmers, business

partners, family members and farm employees in SMEs

— 2003/04: GBP 0,20 million

— 2004/05: GBP 0,38 million

— 2005/06: GBP 0,56 million

Total: 1,15 million to train 1 300 participants.

No individual recipient will receive more than EUR 1 million.

The average aid per beneficiary amounts to GBP 885

— The following number of training places will be provided:

— 2003/04: 200

— 2004/05: 650 (including 100 trainees from 2003/04)

— 2005/06: 1 050 (including 250 trainees from 2004/05
and a further 300 will be carried forward into 2006/07)

trainees

Total
programmes as at March 2006 = 1 300

completing or participating

in Challenge

Maximum aid intensity: The actual aid intensity of
the
programme is 40 %. This matches the maximum allowable
aid intensity of 40 % based on

Economic sector(s) concerned: Agricultural, equine, horti-
cultural and land-based businesses

— 35 % for specific training for small and medium-sized
enterprises: All trainees come from SMEs as defined in
Annex 1 to Regulation (EC) No 68/2001. The training is
is principally applicable to the employees'
specific as
present business.

— 5 % regional aid. Northern Ireland qualifies for regional aid

under Article 87(3)(c) of the Treaty

Name and address of the granting authority:

Dr John Speers, Director of Environmental, Food and Central
Services, Agri-Food Development Service, Department of Agri-
culture and Rural Development, Room 547, Dundonald House,
Upper Newtownards Rd, Belfast BT4 3SB, Northern Ireland

C 70/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

20.3.2004

Aid No: XT 16/03

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: England

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an
individual aid: Investment Readiness

Legal basis: Ss 11 Industrial Development Act 1982

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: The
scheme will provide funding to support SMES valued at
GBP 1 275 537 over a one-year period. The funding will
the definition in
support around 1 000 SMES which meet
Annex I of
the Training Aid Block Exemption Regulation
(EC) 68/2001

presented or were seeking inappropriate support. This project
seeks to remedy this weakness in the UK's SME population.

The Small Business Service (SBS), an executive agency of the
UK's Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), will run the
instrument. About GBP 1,3 million public money will be
made available to the project. All SMEs will be expected to
contribute a minimum of 30 % of the training costs.

A more detailed summary of the type of assistance to be made
available under Investment Readiness and a justification for it
being ‘general’ training is attached at Annex A

Economic sector(s) concerned: The Training Aid Block
Exemption does not preclude restricted sectors but
is
expected that the project will not support SMEs in agriculture
or fisheries or SMEs in other sensitive sectors,
i.e. motor
vehicle, synthetic fibres and transport

it

Name and address of the granting authority:

Maximum aid intensity: The maximum aid intensity will be
70 % of the eligible training costs for general training. It is
estimated that no one
than
GBP 4 000 of aid

receive more

SME will

Date of implementation: September 2002

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Up to
December 2003

Objective of aid: Investment Readiness seeks to train SMEs in
identifying, and subsequently attracting, private sources of
it will provide staff in SMEs
capital support.
with an understanding of:

In particular,

— the various types of financing available,

— which are the most appropriate forms of

funding for

different projects,

— the most appropriate ways of accessing that

finance,
including the key information looked for by potential
investors,

— how to identify non-finance issues that might need to be

resolved before seeking funding,

— practical advice on the preparation of project plans and

— presentation techniques.

for risk capital

in the UK and
Research into the market
there is a weakness in the
elsewhere has identified that
quality of proposals
seeking risk capital — and that a
number of those proposals rejected by bankers and venture
ideas but were badly
capitalists

contained good basic

Small Business Service
St Mary's House
C/o Moorfoot
Sheffield
S1 4PQ

Contact: Ken Cooper
Tel. 0114 259 72 78

Aid No: XT 35/03

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: Yorkshire and Humber

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an
individual aid: Centre of Vocational Excellence Programme
(NG Bailey & Co Ltd)

Legal basis: The Learning and Skills Act 2000

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: Not
exceeding EUR 1 million (approx. GBP 624 000) will be
provided to the company over 3 years as follows:

— Year 1: GBP 300 000

— Year 2: GBP 150 000

— Year 3: GBP 100 000

Total: GBP 550 000

20.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 70/19

Maximum aid intensity: NG Bailey & Co Ltd is a large
company based in Leeds.

Economic sector(s) concerned: Electrical construction

The maximum aid intensity will not exceed 60 % of the eligible
costs for general training (50 % permitted for large enterprises
plus 10 % for disadvantaged workers as defined in Article 2(g)
of the Regulation). Different maximum aid intensities will apply
depending on whether or not recipients are actually disad-
vantaged workers

Date of implementation: 30 June 2003

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: Until 31 July
2006

Objective of aid: The electrical construction sector has a
shortage of labour with the skills required for employment in
a high-technology industry. This is a significant barrier to
economic growth in England, especially in the Yorkshire and
Humber region.

Electrical construction includes: electrotechnical engineering,
heating
refrigeration,
air
mechanical engineering and building services.

conditioning,

ventilating,

and

General training

industry.

(Modern apprenticeships

The objective of this aid is to increase the regional and national
pool of labour with the high-level transferable skills necessary
to meet the needs of the industry. This will be achieved in two
ways: Firstly, by increasing the number of young people
entering the industry through modern apprenticeship training
and by improving the skills of those who are already working
in electrical
in the
construction provide more opportunities for young people to
enter the labour market and the best possible preparation for
achieving skilled and/or technician status within the industry.
They also, where appropriate, provide positive progression to
higher education or higher-level work.) Secondly, by increasing
the number of existing employees in electrical construction
companies across the Yorkshire and Humber
region who
upgrade their existing vocational skills. This will be achieved
its
by expanding NG Bailey's training capacity to upskill
existing employees. The
lead to
nationally recognised vocational qualifications
that boost
productivity and also substantially enhance individual employa-
bility across a range of jobs within the electrical construction
sector.

training provided will

construction. The

The individual aid is being granted to NG Bailey, a company
training’
engaged in electrical
elements of this package will ensure that the recipients of
the training programmes receive technology skills enabling
them to gain employment
in the electrical construction
industry and across a range of other industries including elec-
tronics, electrical engineering, engineering and building services

‘general

Name and address of the granting authority:

Skills for Employment Division
Department for Education and Skills (DfES)
Level 4, Moorfoot
Sheffield
S1 4PQ
United Kingdom

Contact: Keith McMaster

Other information: This aid is approved by the Department
for Education and Skills. The Learning and Skills Council
is
responsible for contracting with the company and for moni-
toring progress in accordance with state aid rules.
It has
delegated authority via the Learning and Skills Act 2000

Aid No: XT 42/03

Member State: United Kingdom

Region: England

Title of aid scheme or name of company receiving an
implementation of
individual aid: Strategy for
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points in catering businesses
in the United Kingdom

the wider

Legal basis: Food Standards Act 1999

Annual expenditure planned under the scheme or overall
amount of individual aid granted to the company: GBP 2,9
million

Maximum aid intensity: Project funding for general training
will not exceed 70 % for small and medium sized businesses

Date of implementation: 13 October 2003

Duration of scheme or individual aid award: April 2004

Objective of aid: Training supported under this programme
training in HACCP based food safety
will be general
management and will be transferable between firms and
economic sectors. The scheme is a pilot scheme, which will
be evaluated with the intention of developing a national
strategy available to all employers in a future phase, building
on the lessons learnt in this pilot.

C 70/20

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

20.3.2004

The training aims to:

— Provide management and workers with clear guidance on
how to control the food hazards inherent in a catering
business

The Food Standards Agency must prepare UK food businesses
for the forthcoming consolidation of EU food hygiene legis-
lation expected in 2005. This legislation will make documented
food safety management systems, based on HACCP principles,
food businesses except primary
a legal requirement
producers

for all

— Develop a comprehensive food safety management system
that is relevant, specific and appropriate for each individual
business.

Economic sector(s) concerned: The small end of the catering
independent catering
sector of UK. This pilot targets small
establishments. In most instances these would be classified as
micro businesses

The training will enable businesses to manage food safety risks
more effectively resulting in a lower incidence of food-borne
disease.

This project aims to identify the most cost-effective approach
to implementing food safety management, based on HACCP
principles, in catering businesses in the UK.

Name and address of the granting authority:

Andrew Greaves
Food Standards Agency
Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London WC2B 6NH
Tel. 020 72 76 81 27

Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 87 and 88 of the EC Treaty

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(2004/C 70/06)

Date of adoption of the decision: 13.2.2004

— Legge Regionale 26/2001 «disposizioni di attuazione dei

programmi cofinanziati dai Fondi Strutturali»

Member State: Italy

Aid No: N 626/03

— Legge Regionale 7/2000 «Testo unico delle norme in ma-
teria di procedimento amministrativo e di diritto di accesso»

Title: ‘Leader + Project 2: Participation in fairs’

Budget: EUR 30 000, co-financed by FEOGA

to provide

Objective: This aid scheme aims
a public
contribution for participation in fairs, which will be granted
in the framework of the Leader + programme of Friuli-Venezia
Giulia, and specifically of the Local Development Plan (LDP)
Alpi Prealpi Giulie. Beneficiaries are associations of agricultural
consortia, cooperatives and undertakings

Legal basis:

— Decisione della Commissione C(2001) 3563 del 19 novem-
bre 2001, recante approvazione del Programma Leader Re-
gionale

— Decreto n. 22/SASM del 29 marzo 2002, recante approva-
zione del bando relativo alla selezione e finanziamento dei
Piani di Sviluppo Locale

— Delibera della Giunta Regionale n. 4240 del 6 dicembre
2002, recante approvazione della graduatoria dei Piani di
Sviluppo Locale

Aid intensity or amount: 40 % of eligible expenses, capped at
EUR 100 000 per beneficiary over three years

Duration: Five years

The authentic text(s) of the decision, from which all confi-
dential information has been removed, can be found at

http://europa.eu.int/comm/secretariat_general/sgb/state_aids

Date of adoption of the decision: 18.2.2004

Member State: Italy