NEARLY £9 million of Government aid for staff training at Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant has been approved by the European Commission.

The finance was vetted by Brussels under EU state aid rules, which ban anything amounting to unfair competitive advantage to a sector of industry.

But today the Commission ruled that the Government aid for the Merseyside car plant would cover the cost of additional training for workers and would not simply subsidise training that Vauxhall would have provided in any case.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said: "Our investigation has shown that the aid will add real value to Vauxhall’s ambitious training programme.

"I am pleased to approve aid which will make a genuine contribution to the skills and competitiveness of European car workers".

The Ellesmere Port factory employs about 2,200 workers, and Vauxhall was awarded £8.7 million of Government cash towards a comprehensive five-year staff training programme which runs until 2012.

A Commission statement said such training aid was only granted if it provided "a genuine incentive for additional training".