Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what representations he has received from recipients of funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland on the future of their programmes after March 2025.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I have received no formal representations from recipients of UK Shared Prosperity Fund monies in Northern Ireland to date. However, I recognise that UKSPF plays a significant role in supporting important provision across Northern Ireland, and in the normal course of business, my officials are regularly engaging with project deliverers and partners on this issue.
As with all Government funding, decisions regarding the future of UKSPF after the end of the current programme in March 2025 are a matter of the next spending review, so we are currently unable to outline specific plans at this stage. We recognise the need for those delivering UKSPF to have certainty as to its future and are committed to setting out further detail in due course.
My officials are regularly engaging with project leads and partners on this issue.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his plans are for determining the membership of the east-west business council.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Since the Council was announced in the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, UK Government officials have been engaging with The Executive Office to establish the first meeting of the Council. The Secretary of State will be setting out further details about the Council soon.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much levelling-up funding (a) has been transferred and (b) he plans to transfer to the Northern Ireland Executive as part of the financial settlement with that devolved Administration.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The information requested is set out on gov.uk here and here.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the status is of the third round of the Levelling Up Fund in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The information requested is set out on gov.uk here and here.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 20 November 2023, Official Report, column 37, whether round three of Levelling Up funding for Northern Ireland will be allocated to (a) unsuccessful projects under round two and (b) new applications.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In Northern Ireland, the Government is not proceeding with this round of the Levelling Up Fund at this time. In the context of the growing pressure on NI budgets it is right that UK Government should consider its approach to funding available for NI in the round. £30 million has been reserved for Northern Ireland from LUF 3. As part of our commitment to levelling up, we want to work with a restored Executive to find the best approach to supporting people in Northern Ireland, taking account of current budget pressures.
We will continue to work closely with projects and places in Northern Ireland that were awarded a total of £120 million in the first two rounds of the Fund and work with stakeholders on how best to level up communities in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 20 November 2023, Official Report, column 37, what his planned timescale is for the allocation of round three of Levelling Up funding for Northern Ireland.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
In Northern Ireland, the Government is not proceeding with this round of the Levelling Up Fund at this time. In the context of the growing pressure on NI budgets it is right that UK Government should consider its approach to funding available for NI in the round. £30 million has been reserved for Northern Ireland from LUF 3. As part of our commitment to levelling up, we want to work with a restored Executive to find the best approach to supporting people in Northern Ireland, taking account of current budget pressures.
We will continue to work closely with projects and places in Northern Ireland that were awarded a total of £120 million in the first two rounds of the Fund and work with stakeholders on how best to level up communities in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support Afghan families currently living in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The majority of Afghan families have been moved out of bridging accommodation into longer-term accommodation. Less than 15% of families in bridging hotels at the end of March 2023 are owed a homelessness duty and in local authority temporary accommodation.
In addition to the £150 million UK-wide package of support for local authorities and devolved administrations, the Government continues to support councils with Afghan households who are homeless and living in temporary accommodation. £9,150 per household is available to councils to support with homelessness costs as a result of the closure of bridging hotels, as well as £28 per person per day if placed in Temporary Accommodation for up to six months.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the equity of the geographical distribution of successful bids to Shared Prosperity Fund economic inactivity strand in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The department received 42 applications. 18 bidders and approximately 80 partners will receive over £57.5m in UK Shared Prosperity Fund support. 24 applications were unsuccessful. £30.5m of applications were not funded in full or in part.
The selection criteria were published on gov.uk. This allowed for ministerial discretion to (a) ensure a reasonable thematic split of projects and (b) a balanced geographic spread of projects. After considering the highest scoring bids, our decision to allocate additional funding allowed us to support a suitable mix of projects to address all geographies and a range of needs.
All eighteen funded projects will support economically inactive women, and many projects have identified women as a priority cohort. Many organisations that have a strong focus on women have been successful as a lead bidder or a project partner, including Women's Training, Education, and Childcare’s £872k Building Futures project, and Women's Resource and Development Agency's £1.27m Scaling Up Women's Training, Education & Employment Skills project.
While engagement is affected by the lack of a functioning Executive, my department has a productive dialogue with the Northern Ireland Departments. Northern Ireland Arm's Length Bodies were successful in the economic inactivity competition. My officials are also engaging with the Department for the Economy and its Arm's Length Bodies on delivering other aspects of the fund.
This collaborative approach has been well received by the departments, who have written to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee in this regard.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of funding allocated to tackle economic inactivity in Northern Ireland through the Shared Prosperity Fund was awarded to organisations working with women.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The department received 42 applications. 18 bidders and approximately 80 partners will receive over £57.5m in UK Shared Prosperity Fund support. 24 applications were unsuccessful. £30.5m of applications were not funded in full or in part.
The selection criteria were published on gov.uk. This allowed for ministerial discretion to (a) ensure a reasonable thematic split of projects and (b) a balanced geographic spread of projects. After considering the highest scoring bids, our decision to allocate additional funding allowed us to support a suitable mix of projects to address all geographies and a range of needs.
All eighteen funded projects will support economically inactive women, and many projects have identified women as a priority cohort. Many organisations that have a strong focus on women have been successful as a lead bidder or a project partner, including Women's Training, Education, and Childcare’s £872k Building Futures project, and Women's Resource and Development Agency's £1.27m Scaling Up Women's Training, Education & Employment Skills project.
While engagement is affected by the lack of a functioning Executive, my department has a productive dialogue with the Northern Ireland Departments. Northern Ireland Arm's Length Bodies were successful in the economic inactivity competition. My officials are also engaging with the Department for the Economy and its Arm's Length Bodies on delivering other aspects of the fund.
This collaborative approach has been well received by the departments, who have written to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee in this regard.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 on the ability of Northern Ireland departments and agencies to engage with his Department.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
The department received 42 applications. 18 bidders and approximately 80 partners will receive over £57.5m in UK Shared Prosperity Fund support. 24 applications were unsuccessful. £30.5m of applications were not funded in full or in part.
The selection criteria were published on gov.uk. This allowed for ministerial discretion to (a) ensure a reasonable thematic split of projects and (b) a balanced geographic spread of projects. After considering the highest scoring bids, our decision to allocate additional funding allowed us to support a suitable mix of projects to address all geographies and a range of needs.
All eighteen funded projects will support economically inactive women, and many projects have identified women as a priority cohort. Many organisations that have a strong focus on women have been successful as a lead bidder or a project partner, including Women's Training, Education, and Childcare’s £872k Building Futures project, and Women's Resource and Development Agency's £1.27m Scaling Up Women's Training, Education & Employment Skills project.
While engagement is affected by the lack of a functioning Executive, my department has a productive dialogue with the Northern Ireland Departments. Northern Ireland Arm's Length Bodies were successful in the economic inactivity competition. My officials are also engaging with the Department for the Economy and its Arm's Length Bodies on delivering other aspects of the fund.
This collaborative approach has been well received by the departments, who have written to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee in this regard.