Oral Answers to Questions

Mark Fletcher Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Gareth Davies (Grantham and Stamford) (Con)]

What progress the Government have made on ensuring regional equality of economic opportunity.

[Mark Fletcher (Bolsover) (Con)]

What progress the Government have made on ensuring regional equality of economic opportunity.

[The Minister without Portfolio (Amanda Milling)]

The Government are doubling down on levelling up opportunity across the United Kingdom, ensuring that everyone benefits from economic growth. That includes longer-term measures such as £1 billion for local projects to boost local economic growth, alongside unprecedented support for businesses, workers and local authorities in every nation and region of the United Kingdom in the light of covid-19.

--- Later in debate ---

[Amanda Milling]

The Government are committed to ensuring that businesses and infrastructure projects continue to have access to the finance they need. The UK has a range of existing tools to support investment, including the UK guarantees scheme. The Government will bring forward further measures to boost investment in UK infrastructure as part of the national infrastructure strategy.

[Mark Fletcher]

This year has presented many challenges, but as my right hon. Friend will know from her visit to my constituency in the summer, there remains a strong desire to see a levelling-up agenda in constituencies like mine, with better infrastructure, better educational standards and more affordable housing. Can she assure me that this Government remain committed to levelling up constituencies like Bolsover?

[Amanda Milling]

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate my hon. Friend once again on his historic election victory in Bolsover exactly 11 months ago. I was delighted to visit him in Bolsover during the summer. I can assure him that the Government are as committed to levelling up opportunity across the UK today as we were last December.