Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that recipients of the European Social Fund in Northern Ireland continue to receive funding under the Shared Prosperity Fund after March 2023.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will provide support for projects across Northern Ireland, focusing on people and skills, communities and place, and local business for the period 2022-23 to 2024-25. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is leading delivery of the UKSPF in Northern Ireland and is in the process of designing a Northern Ireland Investment Plan for UKSPF that sets out the specific interventions it will support, and how it will bring them to market. The Department is working closely with Northern Ireland partners through a Partnership Group comprising representatives from the voluntary and community sector, business, higher education and skills, and local authorities to develop this Plan.
As the Department considers how to deliver the UKSPF, it is considering the wider funding landscape, including activities funded via predecessor funds and other programmes, and the best way to deliver impactful funding that addresses the needs of Northern Ireland. Alongside this, the Department has held workshops and engaged with over 150 representatives of the voluntary and community sector, many of whom receive funding for projects currently, as well as business organisations and local councils across Northern Ireland.
The Department expects to conclude the plan shortly and will publish further information on funding opportunities in Northern Ireland later this year.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether Ukrainians resident in the UK with (a) leave outside the immigration rules and (b) asylum seekers status can transfer their residence to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
The Homes for Ukraine scheme is only open to Ukrainians outside the UK. The Home Office has introduced changes to support Ukrainian nationals currently in the UK who are now unable to return when their existing visa expires. These changes will assist Ukrainian nationals in extending their stay in the UK without having to leave and re-apply from overseas.
Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ukrainian-nationals-in-the-uk-visa-support.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish details on the eligibility of Buy to Let landlords to the Building Safety Fund for buildings both over and under 18 metres.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Leaseholders who are buy-to-let landlords are able to benefit from funding from the Building Safety Fund for eligible remediation works on residential buildings 18 metres and above in England, subject to the relevant subsidy control requirements. Eligibility criteria for the Building Safety Fund can be found in the Building Safety Fund Prospectus at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#prospectus---outlining-eligibility-for-the-fund and specific guidance on subsidy control and declarations can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#subsidy-control-guidance-and-declaration.
As set out in in the Secretary of State's statement to Parliament on Building Safety on 10 January 2022, building owners and industry should make buildings safe without passing on costs to leaseholders, and leaseholders living in their own medium rise buildings should not pay a penny to remediate historic cladding defects that are no fault of their own. We have clarified that we have no intention of excluding leaseholders who have moved out and sublet from the protections that will be in place (including those in shared ownership) for buildings below 18 metres in England. We will explore whether this support should extend to leaseholders who are buy-to-let landlords.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund will be first distributed to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to Question UIN 111742 on 28 January 2022.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much Northern Ireland has received as at 25 January 2022 from the Levelling up Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund invests in infrastructure that improves everyday life across the UK.
The first round of the Fund received significant interest from bidding authorities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. £48.8 million was awarded to 11 successful projects in Northern Ireland in the first round, announced at the October Spending Review.
The second round of the Levelling Up Fund will open in Spring 2022, and further details will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he brief hon. Members representing constituencies in Northern Ireland on the details of Shared Prosperity Fund and the aspects affecting Northern Ireland before its commencement.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The UK Government will continue to engage the devolved administrations and local partners as we develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The Government recognises the importance of reassuring local areas on the future of local growth funding and of providing clarity on the UKSPF.
We also value the insight of stakeholders from different sectors and areas across the UK, which supports the development and delivery of the Fund.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Shared Prosperity Fund; and what key areas and topics were the subject of those discussions.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The UK Government will continue to engage the devolved administrations and local partners as we develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The Government recognises the importance of reassuring local areas on the future of local growth funding and of providing clarity on the UKSPF.
We also value the insight of stakeholders from different sectors and areas across the UK, which supports the development and delivery of the Fund.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he last had discussions with Northern Ireland government departments on the Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The UK Government will continue to engage the devolved administrations and local partners as we develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
The Government recognises the importance of reassuring local areas on the future of local growth funding and of providing clarity on the UKSPF.
We also value the insight of stakeholders from different sectors and areas across the UK, which supports the development and delivery of the Fund.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who will be responsible for administering the Shared Prosperity Fund in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
UK-wide funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will ramp up to at least match receipts from EU structural funds, which on average reached around £1.5 billion per year. Spending Review 2021 fulfils this commitment, with the announcement of over £2.6 billion for the UKSPF over the next three years, with funding reaching £1.5 billion in 2024-25.
The Government will publish further details on the Fund in due course.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is planning to take to report on (a) who the beneficiaries from the Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland are and (b) how much they have received.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
UK-wide funding for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will ramp up to at least match receipts from EU structural funds, which on average reached around £1.5 billion per year. Spending Review 2021 fulfils this commitment, with the announcement of over £2.6 billion for the UKSPF over the next three years, with funding reaching £1.5 billion in 2024-25.
The Government will publish further details on the Fund in due course.