  The aim of this paper is to extend our previous study of the solar-cycle
variations of the meridional flows and to investigate their latitudinal and
longitudinal structure in the subphotospheric layer, especially their
variations in magnetic regions. Helioseismology observations indicate that mass
flows around active regions are dominated by inflows into those regions. On
average, those local flows are more important around leading magnetic
polarities of active regions than around the following polarities, and depend
on the evolutionary stage of particular active regions. We present a
statistical study based on MDI/SOHO observations of 1996-2002 and show that
this effect explains a significant part of the cyclic change of meridional
flows in near-equatorial regions, but not at higher latitudes. A different
mechanism driving solar-cycle variations of the meridional flow probably
operates.
