Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 4.7 of the Autumn Budget 2017, how much of the additional funding in the modern Industrial Strategy will be allocated on projects in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, and (c) the North East.

The Government is committed to providing high quality infrastructure to support economic growth and prosperity across all regions of the UK. We will ensure our infrastructure investments actively support our long-term productivity, providing greater certainty and clear strategic direction.

The Transforming Cities Fund will provide £1.7bn to drive productivity by improving connectivity, reducing congestion and utilising new mobility services and technology, transform local productivity in city-regions.

We have already seen investment for projects for the North East that include:

• increasing national research and development spending to 2.4 per cent, boosting the North East’s strength in research and innovation
• 815,000 people living and working in the North of Tyne will benefit from an ambitious devolution deal agreed between the government and the North of Tyne authorities. This includes a new £600 million long-term investment fund over the next thirty years to be spent on local priorities, such as skills and employment, adult education, and rural productivity.
• a £337 million investment to support a transformative modernisation programme to replace the Tyne & Wear Metro system’s 40-year old trains with a brand-new fleet. This will help to ensure that the Metro system is reliable, runs efficiently, and helps local people get to where they need to be.
• the Tees Valley Combined Authority will receive £59 million from a new £1.7 billion Cities Transformation Fund. Funding will be invested in transport projects which drive productivity by improving connectivity and reducing congestion.
• as announced at Budget, the government is investing £123 million to support the safe development of the Redcar steelworks site in the Tees Valley. Mayor Ben Houchen will set up a Mayoral Development Corporation and use this funding to drive forward an ambitious programme of regeneration for the area.
• The North East has already benefitted from Industrial Strategy funding when the International Centre for Life in Newcastle benefitted from a £13 million funding pot aimed at encouraging more of the public to engage with STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) learning. The money will enable the centre to reinvigorate its visitor experience and develop new STEM learning activities.