Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which stakeholders he or his Department have met with in the last six months to discuss the allocation of New Deal funding for Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland Office officials have engaged with a range of stakeholders in both UK Government Departments and Northern Ireland Executive Departments, and externally, to discuss the allocation of New Deal for Northern Ireland funding.

Within the UK Government this has included His Majesty’s Treasury; the Cabinet Office; the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; Innovate UK; the Department for Transport and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Engagement with Northern Ireland Executive Departments or associated bodies has included the Department for the Economy; the Department for Communities; the Department of Education; Invest Northern Ireland; the Department for Infrastructure and Northern Ireland Water.

Engagement with external stakeholders has included universities; further education colleges; business representative organisations and third sector organisations and charities.

The Department will continue to work with partners in Northern Ireland Executive Departments and UK Government Departments to allocate funding to additional projects and ensure these are delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible, maximising both value for money and the contribution to the UK Government’s objective of supporting prosperity in Northern Ireland.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will make announcements in due course regarding the allocation of remaining New Deal for Northern Ireland funding.