Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their levelling-up measures in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The UK Government is committed to levelling up across the whole of the United Kingdom to ensure that no community is left behind. We are investing £456 million in Northern Ireland to help grow the economy, create jobs, improve transport, provide skills training and support local businesses.
This includes £150 million to develop an Enhanced Investment Zone to provide targeted incentives and interventions to encourage investment and boost growth in Northern Ireland. As well as:
10 years of endowment-style funding for Coleraine & Derry/Londonderry through the Long Term Plan for Towns
£120 million from rounds 1 and 2 of the Levelling Up Fund, investing in infrastructure that improves everyday life for local residents.
£127 million set aside through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, of which £76 million has so far been allocated to 30 projects in Northern Ireland.
The UK Government is providing the Northern Ireland Executive with a significant £3.3 billion spending settlement to stabilise its finances and protect public services. Within this a number of DLUHC funds are being made available to the Northern Ireland Executive.
The full list of the UK Government funds which are being made available to the Northern Ireland Executive was released publicly on Friday 8 March on gov.uk.
The published document confirms that £30 million from the third round of the Levelling Up Fund and £22.6 million from the Northern Ireland allocation for UKSPF have been included in the financial package to increase the spending power of the restored Executive.
We are committed to evaluating the impact of all our funding, as set out in the recently published local growth evaluation strategy.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many freeports have been announced for each country of the United Kingdom in the past 10 years; and where they are located.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Information on the number of Freeports announced in the United Kingdom in the last ten years and their locations can be found at the following link.
Following discussions with stakeholders in Northern Ireland about how best to deliver the benefits associated with Freeports and Investment Zones there, the government announced at the Spring Budget that we will establish an Enhanced Investment Zone offer in Northern Ireland with £150 million in funding, able to be used flexibly across spending and tax levers.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what allocations have been made from the Levelling Up Fund, and to which recipients, in Northern Ireland since its creation.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
Almost £49 million has been awarded to 11 bids in Northern Ireland through the first round of the Levelling Up Fund. A list of the successful grant recipients along with the amount awarded, has been published on GOV.UK.
The second round of the Fund is currently open. We look forward to receiving high-quality applications from across Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impediments that could be faced in extending the Freeports programme to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in the plan deliver at least one freeport in each of (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, and (3) Northern Ireland, as set out in The Benefits of Brexit: How the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU, published on 31 January.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
On 25 March 2022 the UK Government and the Scottish Government jointly published the bidding prospectus for two Green Freeports in Scotland, inviting applicants to bid for Green Freeport Status. The bidding period will close on 20 June 2022. We aim to announce winning bids in late summer 2022.
The Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up has discussed establishing a Freeport in Wales with counterparts in the Welsh Government. Good progress is being made towards an agreement that would see a Freeport delivered in Wales as part of a shared endeavour between the UK Government and the Welsh Government.
The UK Government is committed to extending the Freeports programme to Northern Ireland as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been (1) allocated to, and (2) spent by, the (a) Community Ownership Fund, and (b) the Community Renewal Fund, in each year since their creation; and which projects have received funding.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The government has so far allocated almost £8m from the Community Ownership Fund and £220m from the one-year Community Renewal Fund to places and projects across the UK. Successful bids for the Community Renewal Fund were announced on 3 November 2021. The first batch of successful projects from round one of the Community Ownership Fund were announced in October 2021 with further announcements made December 2021 and March 2022. To date £125m has been paid to projects from the Community Renewal Fund and over £2.3m from the Community Ownership Fund. Details of all successful bids, from both funds, can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding has been allocated to (1) Scotland, (2) Wales, and (3) Northern Ireland from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in each year since its creation.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Every place in the UK will receive a share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund recognising that even the most affluent parts of the UK contain pockets of deprivation and need support.
UK-wide, funding for the UKSPF will ramp up to £1.5 billion per year by March 2025. Alongside commitments to support regional finance funds across the UK via the British Business Bank, this upholds the UK government's commitment to match EU structural fund receipts for each nation.
The Government will publish a full Prospectus on the fund including allocations shortly.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the percentage allocation of funds under the Community Renewal Fund to each country in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Although open to all places, to ensure the UK Community Renewal Fund funding reaches the most in need, we have identified 100 priority places based on an index of economic resilience across Great Britain. The UK Community Renewal Fund will prioritise applications that target these 100 places, as well as having a good contribution to strategic fit and delivery / effectiveness. The lead authority of each of the 100 priority places will also receive capacity funding to help them with the required bid coordination and appraisal for that place.
We are taking a different approach to delivering the UK Community Renewal Fund in Northern Ireland, to take account of the different local government landscape in Northern Ireland compared to Great Britain. Project applicants in Northern Ireland will submit bids directly to the UK Government for assessment and approval.
We will announce all funding decisions from later this year.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Northern Ireland Executive regarding allocations under the Community Renewal Fund.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The UK Community Renewal Fund aims to support people and communities most in need across the UK to pilot programmes and new approaches and will invest in skills, community and place, local business, and supporting people into employment.
The UK Government is running a national competition against a fixed national allocation in Northern Ireland, equating to £11 million of funding. All areas in Northern Ireland are eligible for funding and project applicants should submit bids directly to the UK Government for assessment and approval, by 18 June 2021. The UK Government will issue grant agreements to successful projects in Northern Ireland.
Where appropriate, the UK Government will seek advice from the Devolved Administrations -including Northern Ireland- on shortlisted projects to ensure that the project is deliverable and complementary to other provision.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with (1) the devolved administrations, and (2) local authorities.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.
The Fund will operate UK-wide. We will continue to engage the devolved administrations and other key stakeholders as we develop the fund's investment framework and in advance of its publication.
To help local areas prepare over 2021-22 for the introduction of the UKSPF, the government will provide additional funding to support our communities to pilot programmes and new approaches. We will work closely with stakeholders on how best to use this additional funding to prepare for the introduction of the UKSPF.