Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his Answer of 3 September 2020 to Question 78928, on Ethnic Groups: Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on providing funding to (a) establish the Castlereagh Foundation and (b) support academic research through universities and other partners to explore identity and the shifting patterns of social identity in Northern Ireland.

The UK Government has provided £2 billion of funding to support the implementation of the New Decade, New Approach deal. £561 million of this has already been allocated. The £2 billion includes a £1bn Barnett-based investment guarantee from the UK Government, which will include significant new funding to turbocharge infrastructure investment.

The UK Government and the Northern Ireland Executive recently agreed the allocation of £40 million of ‘unique circumstances’ funding as part of our commitment under the New Decade, New Approach agreement.

We are currently working to finalise details of the funding for the Castlereagh Foundation which we will announce in due course. The aim of the Foundation will be to support academic research through universities and other partners to explore identity and the shifting patterns of social identity in Northern Ireland.