Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on developing the Shared Prosperity Fund as a replacement to the European Regional Development Fund.

The Department for Education has had no discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on developing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) as a replacement to the European Regional Development Fund, as this does not relate to skills policy.

However, the Department for Education is keen to continue to work with the Department for Work and Pensions and MHCLG on the arrangements for a successor programme to the European Social Fund (ESF) and to inform the development of the UKSPF.

Skills activity funded by the ESF supports our aim of improving social mobility to ensure that people have access to the right skills and qualifications needed to enter sustained and meaningful employment or access other forms of training.