Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to allocate funding from the Shared Prosperity Fund to the (a) third sector (b) public sector and (c) academic sector in the UK after 2020.

My Department continues to develop the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which aims to improve productivity and reduce economic inequalities across the country.

The new Fund affords a fresh opportunity to focus investment according to our own priorities. As announced in the Industrial Strategy, we will consult widely on the design of the new Fund later in the year. I would encourage organisations from the third sector, public sector and academic sector to make their views known.