Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Scotland Office

Oral Answers to Questions

David Duguid Excerpts
Wednesday 2nd February 2022

(2 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Alister Jack Portrait Mr Jack
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To be absolutely clear, regarding funding to the devolved Administrations, the first comment I would make to the hon. Lady is that the settlement for Scotland this year of £41.6 billion is an increase of £4 billion and is the highest settlement that the Scottish Government have received since 1998, so since devolution began. Regarding the UK shared prosperity fund, the European regional development fund and the European social fund are absolutely being replaced with no reduction whatever, as per our manifesto commitment.

David Duguid Portrait David Duguid (Banff and Buchan) (Con)
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Will my right hon. Friend inform the House of what engagement he has had—or other UK Departments have had—with the Scottish Government and, in particular, with local authorities in Scotland to ensure that levelling up is truly a levelling-up exercise across the whole of the United Kingdom?

Alister Jack Portrait Mr Jack
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As my hon. Friend knows from when he was in the Scotland Office with me, we have had a lot of engagement with Scottish local authorities. We have been very clear that we will deliver the levelling-up money and work with those local authorities to practice real devolution.