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 Devolution Deal for the North East published on 28 December 2022, whether the funding announced includes funding for research and development.

The North East devolution deal commits the government and the region to take further steps to strengthen the North East's local innovation capacity, to help realise the potential of local innovation assets and the innovation potential of small and medium enterprises. The deal includes a £1.44 billion investment fund over 30 years. It will be for the new mayor and combined authority to decide how best to spend this money.