Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Chapman of Darlington Excerpts
Thursday 8th November 2012

(12 years ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call John Mann. Not here.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington Portrait Jenny Chapman (Darlington) (Lab)
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The Minister of State has been to Darlington and should be, but probably is not, embarrassed by the decision he made to decline the regional growth fund bid for Durham Tees Valley airport. Is he as shocked and frustrated as we in the north-east are to learn that there is now £1 billion of unallocated RGF money in his Department’s coffers?

Michael Fallon Portrait Michael Fallon
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I have not only been to Darlington, as the hon. Lady knows, but I spent 10 years of my life there—and, in the interests of social mobility, I was happy to give her predecessor a leg up the political ladder. I look forward to my visit to the north-east next week. The Secretary of State has already explained the circumstances in which the bid for the airport was turned down, but I have to tell her that the north-east did extremely well in round 3 of the regional growth fund. I look forward to hearing more about some of the successful projects when I visit next week.